Global campaigners launch weekend of action for Giulio Regeni

To mark five months since the disappearance of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, activists in Europe and the United States have launched a weekend of action demanding justice for Regeni and an end to torture in Egypt.

Planned events include vigils in Cambridge, London, Berlin and New York, as well as a social media campaign. Rights group Amnesty International is calling on supporters to post pictures of themselves holding “Truth for Giulio” signs and to call on Italian and British authorities to halt arms transfers to Egypt and demand progress in the investigation into Regeni’s death.

Reports from Cambridge University, where Regeni was enrolled as a doctoral student, show a small group of demonstrators holding signs. The event appears to be smaller than an April rally that drew an estimated 100 participants. Events in London and New York are scheduled for Sunday.

In honor of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, observed on June 26, the campaign is also raising awareness about the ongoing problem of torture in Egypt.

Regeni disappeared in Cairo January 25. Nine days later his body was found, bearing signs of torture. The circumstances of his death have led to accusations that Egyptian security forces were involved, allegations Egyptian officials deny. An investigation into the case is still ongoing.

A January report by Al-Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence documented 640 cases of individual torture at the hands of Egypt’s security forces in 2015, along with 36 cases of mass torture and 26 cases of general misconduct toward detainees. Al Nadeem also reported that almost 500 people killed by security personnel in the same year.