A group of students and activists have held a vigil to commemorate ten years since the death of Giulio Regeni, a PhD student in Development Studies at Cambridge, who was killed while conducting research in Cairo in 2016.

Held on Sunday evening (25/01), the vigil began with the reading of an article originally published in the Italian newspaper Il Piccolo. The article described how on 25 January 2016, Regeni was “heading to a birthday party” when he disappeared. His body was found on 3 February with “clear signs of torture” and “broken bones, burns, deep cuts”.

The article explained the complex legal proceedings taking place in Italy, and that as of today, “we still await truth and justice”.

The group gathered around a banner which read “truth for Giulio” in both Italian and English. They shared readings in both languages, and observed a minute’s silence at 6:41pm, the exact time that Regeni sent his final message. It was to his girlfriend, and read: “I am going out”.

Maria Giovanni De Simone, a librarian at Trinity College, thanked the assembled group and said it was “good to know we are not alone” in pursuing justice for Giulio.

De Simone also paid tribute to Regeni’s parents, Paola Deffendi and Claudio Regeni, who she said “have worked tirelessly to bring truth and justice to this terrible story”.

She added that she hoped people would not need to gather to call for justice the following year, but that “if we must, we will”.

The vigil ended with a quote from Claudio Regeni, thanking everyone who “has shone a light on our road to peace and justice” and making sure that this “human rights violation didn’t fall into oblivion”.

Both the Cambridge Italian Society and the University branch of Amnesty International (CUAI) helped organise the vigil. A representative of the University and College Union (UCU) was also present.

Attendees were expecting an appearance from Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner, who they hoped would say a few words before the minutes’ silence.

Zeichner told Varsity: “Due to an error with my diary, I sadly missed this year’s vigil, which I am very sorry about. I’m proud to have taken part in the vigils in memory of Guilio Regeni in Cambridge over many years, and on one occasion travelled to Brussels specifically to meet his parents.

“I remain fully committed to supporting this important opportunity for the community to come together in remembrance and solidarity.”

The vigil forms part of a broader international campaign. A similar vigil was held at the same time in Regeni’s hometown of Fiumicello, and there are plans for a march in London between the Egyptian and Italian embassies.

Representatives of CUAI read a message from Dr Anne Alexander, the chair of the University Digital Humanities Network, who expressed disappointment that she could not be present.

Paying tribute to Regeni, Alexander said that his murder was at the hands of a “brutal and authoritarian regime” in Egypt. She added that Regeni’s “fate was inextricably linked to that of thousands of Egyptians who suffered similar crimes,” and that justice for Regeni was also justice for “all of Egypt’s disappeared”.

Alexander closed by saying that we must oppose authoritarian violence wherever it appears, “whether in Egypt or Minnesota,” and that she hopes that Regeni would have been encouraged by the ongoing strikes in Minneapolis.

The Amnesty student representatives then spoke on their own behalf, expressing a desire that everyone present amplify Regeni’s message. Secretary Ya’Seen Ali, a first year at Catz, said that his loss “will always strike an indescribable chord within us” and that “we should keep the fight alive”.

The majority of the crowd were from the Cambridge University Italian community. Representatives of the Italian Society said that the event was “touching,” and that it is “our duty […] to ask for justice and peace for his parents”. They added that “Giulio is still among us 10 years later”.

Girton College, where Regeni studied, stated on the day that they continue “to stand with all those who seek justice and to uncover the truth of what happened to Giulio”. The College flies its flag at half-mast on the 25 January and the 3 February every year.

On Tuesday (03/02), members of the Italian community plan to visit Girton College to place yellow flowers by a plaque bearing Regeni’s name. They stated that all those who wish to pay tribute are welcome.