Regeni murder: judges deliberate; sentencing expected this afternoon.

The judges of the Rome Assize Court are meeting in chambers to deliver their verdict on the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Giulio Regeni. The decision is expected this afternoon. The presiding judge closed the hearing by saying, "See you at 6:00 PM." Last June, during their closing arguments, the Rome Prosecutor's Office, with Deputy Prosecutor Sergio Colaiocco, requested a life sentence and three sentences of 17 and a half years in prison. The indictments include representatives of the Egyptian security services: General Tariq Sabir; Colonels Uhsam Helmi and Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim; and Major Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif. Specifically, the request was for life imprisonment for Magdi Ibrahim Abdelal Sharif and sentences of 17 years and six months for Athar Kamel Mohamed Ibrahim, Uhsam Helmi, and Tareq Sabir.

The sit-in awaiting sentencing: the yellow people call for 'the truth about Giulio Regeni'

This morning, a sit-in was held outside Rome's judicial center awaiting the sentencing scheduled for this afternoon. Democratic Party Secretary Elly Schlein also participated, spending a few moments with the parents Paola and Claudio and the sister Irene of the researcher kidnapped and killed in Egypt in 2016. Regeni's family was joined by many activists from the "yellow people" holding a banner reading "Truth for Giulio Regeni."

While the judges of the Rome Assize Court deliberated, many citizens gathered in the Occorsio courtroom in Piazzale Clodio, gathered around their families. No comments were made to the press, but their faces showed both tension and satisfaction at having reached this point. On the bench, yellow roses, the symbol of a ten-year fight for the truth.

A truth sought for 10 long years: from 2016 to today, the fundamental stages of the judicial process

The young Italian researcher disappeared on January 25, 2016, near Tahrir Square in Cairo. On February 3, 2016, his body was found on the road connecting Cairo to Alexandria, Egypt. His body bore signs of torture: bruises, fractures, wounds, and burns. When Giulio Regeni's body arrived in Italy on February 7, 2016, a new autopsy was performed, confirming torture, after Egyptian authorities' investigations had ruled out a violent death. Giulio's parents began a battle, and the case became a diplomatic issue.

And the Rome Prosecutor's Office has opened a file by sending a rogatory letter to the Egyptian authorities requesting the acquisition of the telephone records of 13 people, videos, and testimonies.

On December 4, 2016, the Rome Prosecutor's Office placed five men, members of the Egyptian civilian intelligence services and investigative police, under investigation for conspiracy to commit kidnapping. They are General Sabir Tareq, Colonels Usham Helmy and Ather Kamal, Major Magdi Sharif, and agent Mhamoud Najem. In 2019, the Chamber of Deputies approved the establishment of a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, and in May 2021, preliminary hearings judge Pierluigi Balestrieri sent the four Egyptian intelligence agents to trial. The trial, due to procedural and judicial obstacles, is scheduled to formally begin in 2023. The preliminary investigation concluded last June with the prosecutor's closing statement.