Italian party to sue government over Egypt arms sales

The Green Italy party said it intends to file a legal complaint over the sale last year of two warships to Egypt.

The first of the frigates arrived in Alexandria late last month, a spokesperson for the Egyptian armed forces said.

The small party, which has just two deputies in Italy's parliament, claims the government broke a law prohibiting arms sales to countries where serious rights violations have been committed.

Green Italy's proposed lawsuit comes after Regeni's parents pledged to sue the government over the warship sale last year.

Read more: As Egypt and Italy trade weapons and oil, justice for Regeni fades from view

Regeni, an Italian PhD student at the University of Cambridge, is widely believed to have been killed by Egyptian security forces. He was researching labour unions in the country at the time of his death.

The researcher had disappeared for 10 days before his body was found on the outskirts of Cairo, displaying signs of torture.

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) December 22, 2020" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Comment: "Can prosecuting Regeni's alleged killers weaken European support for Egyptian repression?" https://t.co/PcJhd5WKaC — The New Arab (@The_NewArab) December 22, 2020

Video evidence revealed last year shows that Egyptian security agents monitored Regeni for weeks before his disappearance.

His parents filed an official legal complaint against the government on Wednesday this week, local media reported.

Last month, Egypt's public prosecutor cleared four suspect security officers and a policeman of involvement in Regeni's killing.

The prosecutor then closed the case, stating that the killer was unknown.

Rome condemned the "unacceptable" decision, adding Italy would "continue to work at all levels, including through the European Union, for the truth about Giulio Regeni's brutal murder to finally emerge". 

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected