The First Assize Court in Rome issued a landmark ruling yesterday, sentencing three members of the Egyptian security apparatus to a decade in prison for the kidnapping of Giulio Regeni, the Cambridge University doctoral student who was abducted, tortured, and murdered in Cairo in 2016. A fourth defendant was acquitted because he had not committed the crime. Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, Uhsam Helmi, and Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif were found guilty of kidnapping by the judges, who also imposed a lifelong prohibition on their ability to hold public office. Francesco Lo Voi, the prosecutor of Rome, expressed satisfaction, emphasizing that the prosecution's case had effectively held up despite what he described as "not particularly fruitful" cooperation from the Egyptian authorities.
The trial establishes a critical precedent for international law and human rights. After years of diplomatic stagnation and a complete lack of cooperation from Cairo, the Rome Prosecutor's Office successfully broke the gridlock by appealing to the Constitutional Court, allowing the trial to begin even without the accused. Although they were not present, public defenders were appointed to represent Egyptian officials in order to guarantee full due process. While the verdict provides the Regeni family and the international community with an initial measure of justice, the reasons for the ruling will be filed within 90 days. For the time being, the verdict represents a triumph against impunity, proving that state interests cannot justify violations of fundamental human rights.