How Egypt Stonewalls Investigation Into Italian Student’s Murder

2.5 years after the death of Giulio Regeni, an Italian Cambridge doctoral student, the Egyptian authorities have finally sent the Italian authorities the surveillance tapes of the metro station where Regeni was last seen. The video surveillance contained unexplained gaps and no images of the student.

If you missed this shocking story, The Guardian also made an outstanding, detailed Audio Long Reads podcast about Regeni's gruesome torture and murder.

When the battered body of a Cambridge PhD student was found outside Cairo, Egyptian police claimed he had been hit by a car. Then they said he was the victim of a robbery. Then they blamed a conspiracy against Egypt. But in a digital age, it’s harder than ever to get away with murder.

So far, this has unfortunately not been the case.

Regeni, 28, was conducting research into labour unions at the time of his death. He is believed to have been killed by Egypt’s security services, although why he was targeted and who was responsible for his murder have remained a mystery.

A video released on Egyptian state television earlier, in which Regeni speaks (excellent) Egyptian Arabic to the Cairo street vendors union head, proves he was under state surveillance.

It is not uncommon for Egypt’s Ministry of Interior to arbitrarily detain, disappear, and torture Egyptians, we know from human rights organisations like Human Rights Watch. Every year there are also numerous incidents of what appear to be extrajudicial killings. This time it was a foreigner.

The tapes have been seen as a vital piece of evidence of where Regeni was going and who might have abducted him. Egyptian authorities reportedly secured the videos one week after they were initially requested.

The case has been at the centre of diplomatic tension. However, Italy sought to improve diplomatic relations with Egypt last year. The new populist government appears ready to make the relationship even closer.