Italian judges hand down 10-year sentences in absentia but do not find anyone guilty of Regeni's murder.A Rome court on Monday convicted three Egyptian security agents of kidnapping Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, whose tortured body was found near Cairo in 2016. It did not convict any of them of his murder.After around eight hours of deliberation, the court of assizes sentenced Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif and Colonels Uhsam Helmi and Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim to 10 years each for aggravated kidnapping. A fourth defendant, General Tariq Sabir, was acquitted of all charges. Prosecutors had sought life imprisonment for Sharif, whom they accused of taking part in Regeni's torture and killing, and 17 years and six months for the other three. The court dismissed the charge of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder against Sharif. All four men were tried in absentia. Egypt never provided their addresses to Italian authorities, so they were formally untraceable, and they have never responded publicly to the allegations. Extradition is considered highly unlikely. Regeni, 28, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, disappeared in Cairo on 25 January 2016 while researching independent street vendors' unions. His mutilated body was found nine days later on the road between Cairo and Alexandria, bearing signs of severe torture. The court found that Regeni was seized by Egyptian security services and taken to a building at their disposal on the outskirts of the capital, according to news agency ANSA. It ruled that the evidence was not sufficient to convict the defendants of the torture and killing. Rome's chief prosecutor, Francesco Lo Voi, said the verdict recognised that those involved were linked to the Egyptian state. He said the evidence had not been enough to pin the murder on Sharif specifically, which he blamed on a "wall of silence" from Cairo. "The substantial part of the prosecution's case held," he said, adding that the result had been reached despite Egypt's "less than wholehearted cooperation". The court ordered the convicted men to pay immediate provisional damages of €200,000 each to Regeni's parents, Paola Deffendi and Claudio Regeni, and €100,000 to his sister, Irene. It also awarded €150,000 to the prime minister's office, which joined the case as a civil party. The family's lawyer, Alessandra Ballerini, said they would need to read the court's reasoning but that their faith in justice had been well placed. The reasons are due within 90 days, after which prosecutors will decide whether to appeal. Egypt has denied any state involvement. Italian and Egyptian prosecutors initially worked together, but Cairo later blamed a criminal gang, whose members were killed in a police shootout. Italian investigators argued that Regeni was targeted because of his research into trade unions. The trial began in October 2021 but stalled over whether the defendants knew they were being prosecuted. Italy's constitutional court cleared the way in 2023, ruling that Egypt's non-cooperation could not block proceedings. The verdict drew political reaction in Italy. The centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) leader Elly Schlein, who attended court, said no one could now deny the Egyptian regime's responsibility. Nicola Fratoianni of the Greens and Left Alliance (AVS) urged the government to press Cairo for cooperation. Ties between Rome and Cairo have been rebuilt since 2017, and foreign minister Antonio Tajani signed two cooperation agreements with his Egyptian counterpart earlier this month. Photo credit: Stefano Guidi / Shutterstock.com

A Rome court on Monday convicted three Egyptian security agents of kidnapping Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, whose tortured body was found near Cairo in 2016. It did not convict any of them of his murder. After around eight hours of deliberation, the court of assizes sentenced Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif and Colonels Uhsam Helmi and Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim to 10 years each for aggravated kidnapping. A fourth defendant, General Tariq Sabir, was acquitted of all charges. Prosecutors had sought life imprisonment for Sharif, whom they accused of taking part in Regeni's torture and killing, and 17 years and six months for the other three. The court dismissed the charge of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder against Sharif. All four men were . Egypt never provided their addresses to Italian authorities, so they were formally untraceable, and they have never responded publicly to the allegations. Extradition is considered highly unlikely. Regeni, 28, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, disappeared in Cairo on 25 January 2016 while researching independent street vendors' unions. His  on the road between Cairo and Alexandria, bearing signs of severe torture. The court found that Regeni was seized by Egyptian security services and taken to a building at their disposal on the outskirts of the capital, according to news agency ANSA. It ruled that the evidence was not sufficient to convict the defendants of the torture and killing. Rome's chief prosecutor, Francesco Lo Voi, said the verdict recognised that those involved were linked to the Egyptian state. He said the evidence had not been enough to pin the murder on Sharif specifically, which he blamed on a "wall of silence" from Cairo. "The substantial part of the prosecution's case held," he said, adding that the result had been reached despite Egypt's "less than wholehearted cooperation". The court ordered the convicted men to pay immediate provisional damages of €200,000 each to Regeni's parents, Paola Deffendi and Claudio Regeni, and €100,000 to his sister, Irene. It also awarded €150,000 to the prime minister's office, which joined the case as a civil party. The family's lawyer, Alessandra Ballerini, said they would need to read the court's reasoning but that their faith in justice had been well placed. The reasons are due within 90 days, after which prosecutors will decide whether to appeal. Egypt has denied any state involvement. Italian and Egyptian prosecutors initially worked together, but Cairo later blamed a criminal gang, whose members were killed in a police shootout. Italian investigators argued that Regeni was targeted because of his research into trade unions. The trial began in October 2021 but stalled over whether the defendants knew they were being prosecuted. Italy's constitutional court cleared the way in 2023, ruling that Egypt's non-cooperation could not block proceedings. The verdict drew political reaction in Italy. The centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) leader Elly Schlein, who attended court, said no one could now deny the Egyptian regime's responsibility. Nicola Fratoianni of the Greens and Left Alliance (AVS) urged the government to press Cairo for cooperation. Ties between Rome and Cairo have been rebuilt since 2017, and foreign minister Antonio Tajani signed two cooperation agreements with his Egyptian counterpart earlier this month. Photo credit: Stefano Guidi / Shutterstock.com