Italy training Egyptian judiciary

The Italian government risks complicity in abuses such as mass trials and the death penalty for supporting the judiciary in Egypt, according to the London based human rights organisation Reprieve.

Commenting on a $10 million contract involving the EU and Egypt, named “Support to the Modernisation of the Administration of Justice”, Reprieve said: “The project, and Italy’s involvement in it, has caused concern because Egyptian judges have handed down hundreds of death sentences in mass trials in the past three years.”

The rights organisation, which campaigns against the death sentence, extra judicial imprisonment and killings added: “Reprieve has unearthed documents showing that the project includes training Egyptian judges who oversee death sentences; providing steel bars and a metal cage to a juvenile court and video technology for ‘interview rooms’.”

Reprieve raised further concerns about the project, and Italy’s involvement in it, citing Egyptian judges, who have handed down hundreds of death sentences in mass trials in the past three years.

The concerns were also raised in relation to the murder of the Italian student Giulio Regeni. Commenting on the murder it said: “Italy’s involvement in the project is revealed amid growing concerns over the failure of Egyptian authorities to investigate fully the murder of an Italian student, Giulio Regeni, apparently at the hands of Egypt’s security forces.”