The Obama administration gave no
"explosive evidence" or real actionable information to the
previous Renzi government that Giulio Regeni was tortured and
murdered by the Egyptian secret services, the Italian premier's
office said Tuesday after a New York Times report.
The NYT said the US, under Obama, acquired evidence that
Regeni was abducted, tortured and killed by the Egyptian secret
services in early 2016 and informed the Renzi government.
But the premier's office said no solid evidence was provided,
"as was recognised by the (NYT) journalist himself", and Egypt
had offered ever increasing cooperation with Rome, spurring
Italy to send ambassador Giampaolo Cantini to Cairo Monday after
Rome withdrew its ambassador in April 2016 in protest at lack of
cooperation.
Regeni's family said it was "indignant" at the posting of the
ambassador and posted a photo of an Italian flag at half mast,
saying it was "doubly in grief" at their son's death.
Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano responded by stressing that
Cantini will be tasked with seeking the truth about Regeni, a
Cambridge university researcher into Egyptian trade unions who
disappeared on January 25, 2016, the heavily policed fifth
anniversary of the ousting of former strongman Hosni Mubarak.
His mutilated body was found in a ditch on the road to
Alexandria nine days later.
Egypt gave several explanations for his death including a car
accident, a gay lovers' tiff turned ugly and murder by an
alleged kidnapping gang, all of them rejected by Italy.
But on Monday Cairo supplied allegedly key fresh testimony by
the police who first probed Regeni's death, prompting Rome to
send Cantini to Cairo.
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