Three former Egyptian security officials have been found guilty by a court in Rome of the aggravated abduction of Italian student Giulio Regeni, whose tortured remains were discovered near Cairo in 2016.
The defendants, who were tried in their absence, were each handed 10-year prison sentences on Monday.
A fourth suspect was cleared of the allegations.
Regeni, 28, was pursuing a PhD at Cambridge University when he disappeared on 25 January 2016 during academic research into Egypt’s independent trade unions.
His severely injured body was discovered several days later in a roadside ditch outside Cairo.
A post-mortem examination established that he had suffered extensive torture before his death.
Italian and Egyptian investigators initially worked together on the case but later produced conflicting accounts of what happened.
Egyptian authorities attributed the killing to a criminal gang and offered several alternative theories, including an accident, an unsuccessful drug transaction and a robbery.
Cairo has consistently rejected accusations that state security agencies were responsible.
Italian prosecutors, however, determined that members of Egypt’s national security apparatus had played a role in Regeni’s disappearance and death.
Those convicted were Gen Tariq Sabir, Col Usham Helmi and Col Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim.
Maj Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif was acquitted.
Regeni’s relatives and their legal representatives welcomed the ruling following years of campaigning for accountability.
Family lawyer Alessandra Ballerini described the decision as a significant step against impunity and arbitrary use of power.
Members of Regeni’s family and supporters attended the hearing wearing yellow clothing and badges, which have become symbols of their campaign for justice.
Prosecutors said Regeni endured repeated physical assaults involving fists, feet, sticks and clubs, before ultimately dying from a fractured neck.
The case has taken nearly a decade to reach a conclusion.
The proceedings were initially halted in 2021 because authorities could not establish the whereabouts of the accused and formally notify them of the charges.
Italy’s Constitutional Court subsequently ruled in September 2023 that the proceedings could continue despite the defendants’ absence.
The convictions are unlikely to result in the suspects being imprisoned in Italy because their extradition is considered improbable.
However, the ruling could further strain relations between Rome and Cairo.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong