Italian tourism association suspends Egypt activities until ‘truth’ on Regeni’s murder is revealed

The non-governmental Association for Italian Tourism (AITR) declared in a statement on Saturday that all their package travel deals to Egypt would be suspended "until the tragic events of Regeni's murder are revealed."

The association, which includes a large number of private Italian tourism companies, said that, while Egypt is a marvelous travel and holiday destination, "travel and vacations are not possible in the context of pain and indignation."

AITR operators have already suspended their Egypt activities, according to the President of the association Maurizio Davolio.

The head of international tourism at the Egyptian Tourism Board, Mohamed Abdel Gabbar, said in press remarks in February that Egypt had temporarily suspended a tourism marketing event in Italy following Regeni's death. He added that the resumption of the campaign in Italy was dependent on the results of the investigation.

Previous estimations by the Tourism Ministry have indicated that Italian tourism in Egypt had already dropped by 90 percent last summer, following the bombing of the Italian Consulate in Downtown Cairo, as well as general fears by Italians after attacks in Tunisia and Paris. The ministry said that approximately one million Italian tourists visited Egypt in 2010. This has dropped to around 300,000 in recent years.

The AITR's statement expressed hope for quick clarification and sincere collaboration that would permit the restoration of all relations within a framework of mutual trust, respect and security. 

A delegation of Egyptian prosecutors is expected to fly to Rome on April 5, where they will meet with Italian prosecutors to present their findings and discuss a way to move forward with the investigations.

The Italian Ansamed news agency reported on Friday that Egyptian prosecutors would admit to “keeping tabs” on Regeni prior to his torture and murder, and are expected to hand over phone records from 10 of Regeni’s friends and acquaintances while in Rome, in an effort to “help reconstruct his last days.”

The mother of Egyptian torture victim Khaled Saeed sent a message of solidarity to Regeni’s mother on Saturday. “I feel what you feel, I feel your pain, just as I’m in pain until today for my son Khaled.”

Saeed, who was tortured to death by police in the coastal city of Alexandria in 2010, became a national icon of the January 25 revolution. The Facebook page, “We are all Khaled Saeed,” attracted millions of followers and spearheaded calls for protest against police brutality in 2011.

“I truly thank you because you care about cases of torture in Egypt and you will continue the path of your son; may God be with you. I don’t know what to say to you, because what I feel is indescribable,” Saeed’s mother said in her one-minute video message.

Regeni went missing on the fifth anniversary of the January 25 revolution, as he was heading to the heavily-policed Downtown area from his home in Dokki. His body was found in a ditch in a Cairo suburb in early February, with multiple signs of torture.

Egyptian security forces have been accused of having a hand in Regeni’s murder, due to his work on independent workers' unions in Egypt, but this has been adamantly denied by the state.

Regeni’s mother said in a speech before the Italian Senate a few days ago that she saw “all the evil of the world on his face.” She added that, while the brutality of her son’s torture is extraordinary for Italians, it is not new for thousands of Egyptians.

Giulio’s parents and lawyers have questioned the Egyptian Interior Ministry’s latest claim that their son died at the hands of an alleged gang specializing in robbing foreigners. The Interior Ministry issued a detailed statement claiming they had shot and killed all the members of this gang on March 24. After Italian authorities rejected this narrative, Egyptian authorities said this would not be the end of the investigation.

A written statement at the beginning of Khaled Saeed's mother's video message recounts how Egyptian security forces tried to attack Saeed's reputation and initially frame him for dealing drugs, saying he died swallowing a packet of hashish. Both Saeed and Regeni's bodies were found horrifically disfigured as a result of torture.