First verdict in the Regeni case: three Egyptian secret service employees each sentenced to ten years in prison

A first legal milestone: almost ten years after the death of the Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, a jury in Rome convicted three employees of the Egyptian secret service. The judges found Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif and Colonels Uhsam Helmi and Athar Kamel Mohamed guilty of false imprisonment and each handed down prison sentences of ten years. A fourth defendant, General Tariq Sabir, was acquitted.

The convicts were acquitted of the murder charge. The court considered the offense of kidnapping or deprivation of liberty to be proven.

The verdict came 3,890 days after Regeni's body was found in Cairo on February 3, 2016. The 28-year-old research student had disappeared in the Egyptian capital a few days earlier. His body bore numerous signs of severe abuse and torture. The case caused international outrage.

Judgment probably without execution

The judgment marks the first time that the case has been assessed by the court. Italian prosecutors had argued that their charges were based on documents, witness statements, forensic reports and other independent evidence.

Alessandra Ballerini, lawyer for the Regeni family, spoke of an important step. The verdict shows that trust in the judiciary was justified. At the same time, she emphasized that the lengthy process had come about despite numerous obstacles and represented a success in the fight for truth and justice.

Relatives, supporters and political representatives gathered in front of the courthouse in Rome, including the leader of the Italian social democratic Partito Democratico, Elly Schlein. They expressed their solidarity with the family and called for a full investigation into the case.

The trial in Rome took place in the absence of the defendants. The Egyptian authorities have not yet cooperated with the Italian judiciary in the Regeni case and have rejected the allegations against the security officials.

The three convicted Egyptian security officials are unlikely to face prison as long as they remain in Egypt. Cairo has not yet extradited them and there is no extradition agreement between Italy and Egypt.