Italian deputy minister of foreign affairs Mario Giro criticised the University of Cambridge for not cooperating with the Italian prosecution in the Giulio Regeni case. Regeni was an Italian researcher who was found tortured and killed in Egypt in February.
“Shame on you Cambridge University. You value your ’secret research‘ over a human life,” said Giro on his Twitter account. “What are you hiding?” he added.
The Cambridge University staff that supervised Regeni while he was in Egypt refused to answer the Italian prosecutors’ questions about Regeni’s work on Egyptian trade unions.
Regeni’s family has urged the British university to cooperate with investigators to reach the truth.
“We entrusted our son Giulio to the university community of Cambridge and we expected the utmost, concrete solidarity from this community, and therefore, total collaboration in the search for the truth on his kidnapping and terrible murder in Cairo while he was doing research work for the university,” the family said earlier in a statement.
“Those who believe in the rigour of research, the duty of solidarity, and the safeguard of human rights cannot shun the moral and civic duty to contribute to the investigations,” they added.
EU high representative Federica Mogherini met with Regeni’s parents on Thursday.
Mogherini issued condolences from the European Union to Mr. and Mrs. Regeni, according to an official statement by the EU.
“The murder of Giulio Regeni shocked the European Union,” said Mogherini. “I personally raised the case with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.” The EU, she confirmed, supports all the initiatives the Italian authorities are taking in their search for the truth behind Regeni’s death.
Regeni went missing on 25 January and his battered body was found over a week later on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road.
Relations between Egypt and Italy have become tense since his death, with Rome recalling ambassador to Egypt Maurizio Massari over the case.
Massari was replaced by Giampaolo Cantini last month.
Italian minister of foreign affairs Paolo Gentiloni said on Thursday that Cantini will stay in Italy for the moment in order to continue investigations on the Regeni case.
“The government recalled the ambassador two months ago and this decision has not changed,” Gentiloni said during a visit to Bosnia according to reports made by Italian state run news agency, ANSA.
“It’s a very serious initiative that I don’t think has a precedent. For the moment we are sticking with this decision,” he added.
