The UK Foreign Office on Monday called for a "full and transparent" investigation into the murder of Italian student Guilio Regeni in Egypt. Regeni, whose body was found in a ditch on the outskirts of Cairo in February, was a PhD student at Cambridge University in the UK. "The British minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Tobias Ellwood, as well as British officials in London and Cairo, has stressed to the Egyptian authorities the need for a full and transparent investigation, in full cooperation with the Italian authorities," a spokesperson for the British embassy in Cairo told Ahram Online. A parliamentary petition calling on the British government to ensure a "credible" investigation into the killing this week reached 10,000 signatures. At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament. "As an Italian national, it's right that the Italian authorities are taking the lead in Giulio Regeni's case. The UK government is in close contact with the Italian government in Rome, Cairo, and London, and stands ready to support their efforts in any way we can," the spokesperson added. The 28-year-old vanished from the streets of Cairo on 25 January, the fifth anniversary of the 2011 revolution. His body, discovered nine days later, showed signs of extensive torture. On Friday, Italy recalled its ambassador to Egypt for consultations after two days of meetings between Italian and Egyptian investigators, saying Egypt had failed to provide requested evidence. Egyptian investigators said that the Italians had demanded call logs of thousands of phone numbers in the area where Regeni lived and where his body was found. The "illegal and unconstitutional" requests were denied, they said. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has affirmed that Regeni's case is not closed, stressing that cooperation is still ongoing between Egypt and Italy even though Egypt refused the Italian demand. Source: Ahram Online
