A painful hearing at the trial for the murder of Giulio Regeni. In fact, the forensic doctors arrived on the witness stand to testify on the conclusions of the autopsy which was carried out on the tortured corpse of the Italian researcher, kidnapped and killed in Egypt and for which four National Security agents are on trial: General Sabir Tariq, the colonels […]
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A painful hearing at the trial for the murder of Giulio Regeni. In fact, the forensic doctors arrived on the witness stand to testify on the conclusions of the autopsy that was performed on the tortured corpse of the Italian researcher, kidnapped and killed in Egypt and for which four National Security agents are on trial: general Sabir Tariq, colonels Usham Helmi, Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, and Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif for the crime of multi-aggravated kidnapping. Regeni suffered various tortures including punches, kicks, burning, beatings on the feet and handcuffing of the wrists and ankles according to the medical examiner, Vittorio Finceschi, consultant to the Rome Prosecutor’s Office. On February 6, 2016, the professional carried out an autopsy on the body of the Italian researcher found dead on February 3, 8 years ago on the road connecting Cairo to Alexandria. During his speech Fineschi explained that on Regeni’s body “we found almost all the tortures carried out in Egypt and described in Egyptian scientific literature: punches, kicks, use of clubs, burns”.
In particular, he said, Egypt “over the years has published two scientific works on torture: one out of 140 cases of torture on people, not killed, first arrested and then tortured in police stations or prisons with punches, kicks, clubs, dragging of the body, burns, cuffing of wrists and ankles and the use of a spiked comb. A second study on 367 cases of torture that occurred in 2009-2010 in Egypt in which many methods of torture are reported, also found on the body of Giulio Regeni such as beatings on the feet until all the bones were broken”. Speaking about the autopsy carried out in Egypt, the consultant stated that it was an activity “below the minimum standard. The Egyptians attributed the death to a hematoma that compressed the brain so much that it led to death. Cause not compatible with what we found. In Egypt, incomplete and little in-depth studies have been carried out“, he added.
For toxicologist Marcello Chiarotti, consultant to the Prosecutor’s Office, Regeni’s death is “estimated between 10pm on 31 January and 10pm on 2 February 2016”. Chiarotti carried out the autopsy on 6 February 2016 during which he took vitreous humor cells from the eyes which are used to evaluate the potassium level in the post-mortem phase. “Our work has led to an estimate of death 124 hours before the sampling, therefore it would date back to the period between 10pm on January 31st and 10pm on February 2nd. All the toxicological tests – he added – gave negative results both on Giulio’s use of drugs and medications and on the administration of toxic and poisonous substances“.
