Students held a vigil today (25/1) to remember the life of Cambridge University PhD researcher Giulio Regeni, who was abducted, tortured, and murdered in Cairo in 2016.

During the vigil, excerpts were read out, in English and Italian, from the book “Giulio still does things,” written by his parents Paola Deffendi and Claudio Regeni. They spoke of their commitment to “discover the whole truth”, saying that “we cannot stop until we obtain justice”.

The excerpts also defended their son’s memory, which they said had been “tainted by journalists with outrageous lies,” particularly in the initial months of coverage.

They said that “our son was a serious student and an honest man,” who “died doing his job,” and “should have been granted safety”.

The event was initially advertised to take place outside Great St Mary’s Church, but had its location changed to Senate House due to a march outside the church by Cambridge for Palestine.

At 6:41pm, a minute’s silence was held, to mark the exact time in January 2016 of Giulio’s last message, his final contact with the world.

The speakers called attention to the ongoing trial in Italy of four Egyptian security officials accused of Regeni’s murder, which began in February 2024. 

Maria Giovanna de Simone, a librarian at the University of Cambridge, thanked the Cambridge Amnesty society and Italian society for their support, adding that she was happy that the University’s staff and students haven’t forgotten Giulio.

A statement from Girton College, where Giulio studied was published today, reading: “As Giulio’s case remains unresolved, Girton College and the University of Cambridge continue to stand with Giulio’s family and friends and to support Amnesty International, in their tireless efforts to seek justice and uncover the truth of what happened to Giulio in 2016.”

It continued: “Every year, Girton marks this anniversary by flying the College flag at half-mast on 25 January and 3 February in his memory.”

This comes after Cambridge PhD student Roshaan Khattak accused the University of not taking adequate action to protect him from the Pakistani secret service, who he alleges have threatened him following his criticism of “human rights abuses”.