World Rome trial opens for 4 members of Egyptian security forces

ROME (AP) — The trial of four high-ranking members of Egypt’s security forces started Thursday without the Egyptians on hand to face charges they were involved in the abduction, torture and killing in Cairo of an Italian doctoral student.

© Provided by Associated Press The family of slain Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, from left, mother Paola Deffendi, Giulio's sister Irene, and father Claudio Regeni arrive with their lawyer Alessandra Ballerini at the Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, to attend the first hearing of the trial for the death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared for several days in January 2016 before his body was found on a desert highway north of the Egyptian capital. Italian prosecutors have formally put four high-ranking members of Egypt's security forces under investigation for their alleged roles in the slaying. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

© Provided by Associated Press Lawyer Tranquillino Sarno, defender of Egyptian security forces official Mohammad Ibrahim Atar Kamel, arrives at the Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, to attend the first hearing of the trial for the death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared for several days in January 2016 before his body was found on a desert highway north of the Egyptian capital. Italian prosecutors have formally put four high-ranking members of Egypt's security forces under investigation for their alleged roles in the slaying. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Giulio Regeni’s parents and sister walked into the Rome courthouse without making a statement. The Italian government announced on the eve of the trial that it would join the trial's civil portion as an injured party in the case.

Giulio Regeni murder: Four Egyptian officers face Italian trial

The trial of four senior members of Egypt's security services started on Thursday in their absence, with the quartet facing charges over their alleged role in the disappearance and murder of student Giulio Regeni in Cairo in 2016. © Michele Amoruso/Pacific Press/Sipa/AP At 7:41 PM on 25 January 2018, dozens of Italian squares will be held in torchlight in memory of Giulio Regeni, whose disappearance took place in 2016 in Egypt, near the Cairo capital.

© Provided by Associated Press The family of slain Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, from right, mother Paola Deffendi, Giulio's sister Irene, and father Claudio Regeni arrive arrive with their lawyer Alessandra Ballerini, left, at the Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, to attend the first hearing of the trial for the death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared for several days in January 2016 before his body was found on a desert highway north of the Egyptian capital. Italian prosecutors have formally put four high-ranking members of Egypt's security forces under investigation for their alleged roles in the slaying. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In December, Italian prosecutors formally put the four Egyptians under investigation for their alleged roles in the 2016 slaying of Regeni, and a judge ordered them to stand trial in May. It has always been expected that they would be tried in absentia.

Pressure mounts in Italy to dissolve neo-fascist group after riots

Pressure mounts in Italy to dissolve neo-fascist group after riotsROME (Reuters) - Italy's government was under growing pressure on Monday to dissolve the Forza Nuova neo-fascist group involved in violent weekend protests against a government drive to make the COVID-19 "Green Pass" mandatory for all workers.

© Provided by Associated Press The family of slain Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, from left, mother Paola Deffendi, Giulio's sister Irene, and father Claudio Regeni arrive at the Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, to attend the first hearing of the trial for the death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared for several days in January 2016 before his body was found on a desert highway north of the Egyptian capital. Italian prosecutors have formally put four high-ranking members of Egypt's security forces under investigation for their alleged roles in the slaying. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Regeni’s body was found on a highway days after he disappeared in the Egyptian capital on Jan. 25, 2016. He was in Cairo to research union activities among street vendors as part of his doctoral thesis.

© Provided by Associated Press The family of slain Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, from right, Giulio's sister Irene, mother Paola Deffendi, and father Claudio Regeni, arrive arrive with their lawyer Alessandra Ballerini at the Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, to attend the first hearing of the trial for the death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared for several days in January 2016 before his body was found on a desert highway north of the Egyptian capital. Italian prosecutors have formally put four high-ranking members of Egypt's security forces under investigation for their alleged roles in the slaying. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

His mother has said his body was so mutilated by torture that she was only able to recognize the tip of his nose when she viewed it. Human rights activists have said the marks on his body resembled those resulting from widespread torture in Egyptian facilities.

Biden officials voice support for US assistance to Egypt amid criticisms of human rights

The Biden administration is voicing support for the U.S. and Egyptian security relationship as Congress debates restricting funds over concerns about human rights abuses and the Egyptian government's crackdown on civil society. Top officials from the Department of Defense and State Department on Tuesday stressed the importance of continued U.S. security assistance to Egypt even as the Biden administration raises concerns over Cairo's assaultTop officials from the Department of Defense and State Department on Tuesday stressed the importance of continued U.S. security assistance to Egypt even as the Biden administration raises concerns over Cairo's assault on human rights.

© Provided by Associated Press The family of slain Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, from left, father Claudio Regeni, mother Paola Deffendi, and Giulio's sister Irene, arrive at the Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, to attend the first hearing of the trial for the death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared for several days in January 2016 before his body was found on a desert highway north of the Egyptian capital. Italian prosecutors have formally put four high-ranking members of Egypt's security forces under investigation for their alleged roles in the slaying. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Egyptian authorities have alleged that the Cambridge University doctoral student fell victim to ordinary robbers.

© Provided by Associated Press Paola Regeni, mother of slain Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, arrives at the Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, to attend the first hearing of the trial for the death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared for several days in January 2016 before his body was found on a desert highway north of the Egyptian capital. Italian prosecutors have formally put four high-ranking members of Egypt's security forces under investigation for their alleged roles in the slaying. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The case strained relations between Italy and Egypt, an ally for Rome in efforts to combat terrorism. At one point, Italy withdrew its ambassador to press for Egyptian cooperation in the investigation.

Could Arab-Israeli Abraham Accords win Nobel Peace Prize without Palestinians?

"The quest for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East has always enjoyed a lot of political support in Norway," Norwegian Nobel Institute Director Olav Njølstad told Newsweek.Launched a year ago, the Abraham Accords first saw Israel normalize diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain last September, and later with Sudan in October and Morocco in December. The process was overseen by the administration of President Donald Trump, which set out to erode the Arab boycott against Israel that began with the country's 1948 establishment on soil also claimed by Palestinians.

© Provided by Associated Press Prosecutor Sergio Colaiocco arrives at the Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, to preside over the first hearing of the trial for the death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared for several days in January 2016 before his body was found on a desert highway north of the Egyptian capital. Italian prosecutors have formally put four high-ranking members of Egypt's security forces under investigation for their alleged roles in the slaying. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

On the eve of the trial, the president of Italy's lower chamber of deputies, Roberto Fico, sent his support to Regeni's parents “for their tenacity and their humanity."

© Provided by Associated Press The family of slain Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, from right, mother Paola Regeni, Giulio's sister Irene, and father Claudio arrive with their lawyer Alessandra Ballerini, fourth from right, at the Rebibbia prison in Rome, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, to attend the first hearing of the trial for the death of Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni, who disappeared for several days in January 2016 before his body was found on a desert highway north of the Egyptian capital. Italian prosecutors have formally put four high-ranking members of Egypt's security forces under investigation for their alleged roles in the slaying. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

“If we look back over the years, and think of the enormous effort it took to get here, to reconstruct a plot despite Egyptian misdirections and resistances of all kinds, we understand how important and full of meaning" the opening of the trial really is.

Tigray forces say Ethiopia has launched a major offensive

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tigray forces say Ethiopia’s government has launched its threatened major military offensive against them in an attempt to end a nearly year-old war. A statement from the Tigray external affairs office alleged that hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian “regular and irregular fighters” launched a coordinated assault on several fronts. It blamed Ethiopian forces and those from the country’s Amhara region, where much of the recent fighting has occurred after Tigray forces retook much of their own region in June.