Lawyer missing on way to tell UN about ‘the disappeared’

A LAWYER investigating the abduction and murder of a Cambridge University student in Cairo has gone missing – while en route to a conference about state-sanctioned disappearances.

Ibrahim Metwaly was due to fly to Geneva to address a UN meeting about forced disappearances and the case of Giulio Regeni, 28, who was carrying out research on Egypt’s trade unions when he disappeared on Jan 25, 2016.

Two weeks later, his tortured body was found dumped by the side of a road outside Cairo, amid suspicions that he had been kidnapped and killed by the Egyptian security forces.

Mr Metwaly, who has represented the Regeni family as they push for the truth about what happened to their son, was last heard from when he spoke to his family on the telephone on Sunday.

There were reports that he had been arrested at Cairo Airport.

He is founder of the Stop Enforced Disappearances group, which aims to determine the fate of Egyptians who are “disappeared” by the security forces. Mr Metwaly’s own son disappeared four years ago and has not been heard from.

Italy has long suspected the Egyptian security agencies murdered Mr Regeni. The Italians have accused the Egyptian government of a sham investigation into the murder, and recalled their ambassador in protest. But protestations from Rome have been more muted of late and a new ambassador will be sent to Cairo this month.

Pier Antonio Panzeri, an Italian MEP and chairman of the European Parliament’s committee on human rights, said: “It is unacceptable that a prominent lawyer should vanish at an airport. I urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Metwaly.”