Egypt: A year after Regeni's death, still no justice or steps to end torture in Egypt

On the first anniversary of the death of Italian student Giulio Regeni, Egypt still has not brought before justice those responsible for his enforced disappearance, torture and killing.

It has also been two years since Egypt - now a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council - has committed before the international community to bring its instruments for the prevention of torture in compliance with international standards. Yet the country has to this day shown no sign of wanting to effectively fight against torture.

Regeni, a 28-year-old PhD candidate at Cambridge University conducting his research on labour rights and independent trade unions in Egypt, disappeared in the outskirts of Cairo on 25 January 2016. His body, found nine days after in a ditch, showed signs of severe torture. The investigation into his case has so far lacked independence and effectiveness, for it followed a number of false tracks, observers have said[1]. Moreover, Regeni's death is only the tip of the iceberg of widespread human rights violations happening in the country, where an average of three to four people are disappeared and tortured every day, according to recent reports[2].

"This is a sad anniversary that reminds us that it is time for Egyptian authorities to hold their word and finally put into practice their commitments to the eradication of torture in the country," declared Gerald Staberock, OMCT Secretary General.

In March 2015, Egypt agreed before the UN Human Rights Council to follow four main recommendations coming from the country's Universal Periodic Review to strengthen the fight against torture. The Egyptian Government, however, has not yet ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), still has not submitted a report to the United Nations Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) since 2002, while it is supposed to submit one every four years. Nor has Egypt issued an open and standing invitation to the Special Rapporteur on Torture nor brought the definition of the crime of torture in its Penal Code in line with the definition contained in Article 1(1) of the Convention Against Torture.

Instead, throughout the past two years, the Egyptian authorities have been undermining any attempt to effectively fight torture in the country. This included criminalizing three members of the "United Group - Attorneys-at-law, Legal Advisors"[3], for presenting before the Egyptian authorities a bill for the prevention of torture and advocating for its adoption in order to bring the national legislation in compliance with international standards.

Moreover, a local organization, the "El Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture and Violence", has been subjected to threats of closure, assets freezing and administrative harassment for conducting activities beyond its victims' assistance mandate, such as producing torture reports and statistics.[4]

Despite all this, Egypt was last year awarded a seat on the Human Rights Council until 2020. The council is made of 47 Member States, elected based on candidates' "contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard".

About the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

OMCT is short for the World Organisation Against Torture - in French, as the organization created in 1985 is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. OMCT works for, with and through an international coalition of over 200 non-governmental organizations - the SOS-Torture network - fighting torture, summary executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and all other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment in the world.

For more information, please visit: www.omct.org

For our latest campaign #HumansAgainstTorture: www.joinhat.org.

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For information on this press release, please contact Human Rights Officer Chiara Cosentino ([email protected]) or Lori Brumat, OMCT Head of Communications ([email protected]).

[1] The Guardian, Who murdered Giulio Regeni?, 4 October 2016, available at

[2] Amnesty International Report, Egypt: 'Officially, you do not exist' - Disappeared and tortured in the name of counter-terrorism..

[3] For more information, see the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders' Urgent Appeal.

[4] For more information, see the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders' Urgent Appeal..