Ten years ago Giulio Regeni disappeared. Mattarella: test case with Egypt
Fiumicello turns yellow and calls again for 'Truth and Justice' for the tortured and murdered researcher in Cairo: the initiatives
When he disappeared, on the evening of 25 January 2016, Giulio Regeni had just turned 28. He was living in Cairo, Egypt, because he was researching Egyptian trade unions as part of his doctoral project at Cambridge University in England, started in 2014 under the mentorship of sociologist Maha Abdelrahman. His lifeless body would be found along the highway leading to Alexandria almost ten days later, on 3 February. He would be 38 years old today. And his home town - Fiumicello, in the province of Udine - remembers him by turning yellow, the colour symbolising the struggle of those seeking truth and justice for the researcher kidnapped, tortured and murdered 10 years ago. On the case a trial is underway in Rome, in which four agents of the Egyptian secret services are accused, who have never appeared in court, but since last October, everything is still at a standstill in court.
"The full cooperation of the Egyptian authorities in giving adequate answers to the requests of the Italian judiciary, in order to ascertain the facts and bring those responsible to justice, continues to be a test case," President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella wrote in a message to parents on the anniversary of Giulio Regeni's death. "Truth and justice," the president said, "must not lend themselves to compromise, to protect not only the legitimate expectations of clarity of the family members, but to safeguard the founding principles of our constitutional and social order and international relations.
Yellow ribbons and rosettes hang from the shop windows in Fiumicello today. Other bows of the same colour stand outside bars and along the main street of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia village. 'Truth and justice for Giulio Regeni - 10 years with Giulio' can be read on signs in shop windows and on flags on balconies. In the early afternoon the appointment is at the skating rink, to rally around the Regeni family, with 'Words, images and music for Giulio'.
Other guests expected to attend include the singer Elisa, Don Luigi Ciotti, Alessandro Bergonzoni, Pif, Gherardo Colombo and Elly Schlein. There will also be a screening of the documentary 'Giulio Regeni. Tutto il male del mondo' by Simone Manetti and a rights walk along the streets of the village.
At 7.41pm, the time on 25 January 2016 when Giulio sent his last message from Cairo before being kidnapped, a minute's silence will be observed in the Piazzale dei Tigli.
