On April 2, the Italian Association for Responsible Tourism (AITR) issued a statement noting that all its travel packages to Egypt would be suspended “until the tragic events of [Giulio] Regeni’s murder are revealed.” Regeni, an Italian graduate student conducting research in Egypt, went missing on the fifth anniversary of the January 25 Revolution. His body was found Feb. 3 on the outskirts of Cairo with clear signs of torture.
The decision of AITR, a nongovernmental association, comes amid ambiguity concerning investigations into the murder and a lack of confidence on the part of the Italian authorities as well as Regeni’s family about the integrity of the Egyptian investigation. Regeni’s mother has criticized the Egyptian authorities for a lack of transparency concerning the investigation and said she was prepared to publish a photo of his battered body if authorities do not share their findings. On April 8, Italy recalled its ambassador to Egypt due to a lack of progress in the murder investigation.