The Museo Egizio di Torino is paying tribute to Giulio Regeni, who was murdered in Cairo, by dedicating its Hall of Deir el-Medina to the Italian student who was doing research in the Egyptian capital, Italian media reports
The Hall of Deir el-Medina in the Turin museum is a large gallery that contains artefacts recording the history of workers’ lives in ancient Egypt at a site near Luxor. Regeni, who was 28 years old, was researching labour relations and unrest in contemporary Egypt for his University of Cambridge PhD.
In a statement the Turin museum said: “We want to remember this young Italian researcher, barbarically killed for defending his ideals, and his courageous research activity in the field of labour and social relations. For this reason we have decided to dedicate the historic room of Deir el-Medina to him.”
The mayor of Turin, Piero Fassino, called it “a right and proper tribute” and said: “Giulio’s memory must be kept alive through study, tolerance and the conviction that only through mutual understanding between different faiths, cultures and ideals can we create a better world.”
Regeni’s body, which showed signs that he was tortured, was found on the outskirts of Cairo nine days after he disappeared on 25 January, the fifth anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. More than 4,000 academics have signed an open letter calling for an inquiry into his death.