Arabic version: إدانة مسؤولين مصريين في قضية اختطاف جوليو ريجيني

According to BBC News, three Egyptian security officials have been convicted by a Rome court over the kidnapping of Italian student Giulio Regeni, whose tortured body was found near Cairo in 2016.

The men were tried in absentia and sentenced on Monday to 10 years in prison for aggravated kidnapping. They denied the charges. A fourth defendant, Gen Tariq Sabir, was acquitted. The other defendants were named as Col Usham Helmi, Col Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim and Maj Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif.

Regeni, 28, was studying for a doctorate at Cambridge University when he disappeared on 25 January 2016 during research in Egypt on independent trade unions. Days later, his mutilated body was found in a ditch near Cairo. An autopsy found that he had been tortured, and prosecutors said he died from a broken neck.

Italian and Egyptian prosecutors initially investigated together but reached different conclusions. Egyptian authorities denied state involvement and said criminal gangsters were responsible, offering other possible explanations including a car accident, failed drug deal or botched robbery. Rome prosecutors concluded that Egypt’s national security agency was involved.

Regeni’s family campaigned for justice throughout the decade. Their lawyer, Alessandra Ballerini, welcomed the ruling, saying: “Impunity can be defeated and democracies can place limits on arbitrary power.” The case may renew diplomatic tensions between Italy and Egypt, while extradition remains unlikely.