The murder of Giulio Regeni is an attack on academic freedom View this email in your browser

The murder of Giulio Regeni The body of Giulio Regeni was discovered in a ditch in Cairo on February 2, showing evidence of torture, and a slow and horrific death. Giulio was studying for a PhD at the University of Cambridge, and was carrying out research on the formation of independent trade unions in post-Mubarak Egypt. A letter is being sent to Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi. It will be offered to The Guardian and the Italian media for publication and sent to the Egyptian authorities via the embassies in London and Rome. Please add your name via the link provided. He vanished in the midst of a security campaign which has resulted in mass arbitrary arrests, a dramatic increase in reports of torture within police stations, and other cases of disappearances, according to documentation by local and international human rights organisations. While we welcome the statement by Egyptian Ambassador to Italy, Amr Helmy, that the Egyptian authorities will fully investigate Giulio's death, we note that according to Amnesty International, bodies reporting to the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior and the Egyptian Ministry of Defence routinely practice the same kinds of torture that Giulio is reported to have suffered against hundreds of Egyptian citizens each year. We therefore call on the Egyptian authorities to cooperate with an independent and impartial investigation into all instances of forced disappearances, cases of torture and deaths in detention during January and February 2016, alongside any ongoing investigations by criminal prosecutors into Giulio's death, in order that those responsible for these crimes can be identified and brought to justice. Please add your name using the link below, any queries about the open letter should be sent to justiceforgiulio@gmail.com. All signatures are in a personal capacity and institutional affiliations are noted for information only. Retired members may use their former institution or state that they are retired. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fulZt-YNrsvK6hn7hEU7AC-A2yoTEJzoodFRXyjA_OY/viewform?usp=send_form

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