2023-07-23 17:12:02
MILAN, Italy (AP) — A recently released Egyptian activist arrived in Italy on Sunday, whose government had promoted his cause.
Patrick George Zaki was greeted by cheers, applause and a sea of cameras upon arriving at the arrivals hall at Milan Malpensa Airport, following traveling on a commercial flight. From there he went to Bologna, where he was studying before being arrested in Cairo in 2020.
“This is the most important day of my life,” Zaki, 32, told reporters as he walked through the airport.
Zaki’s case made headlines in Italy, where it brought back memories of the tragic case of Italian student Giulio Regeni, who was kidnapped and murdered in Cairo in 2016. The Italian government has repeatedly called for Zaki’s release since he was arrested in 2020.
Zaki was pardoned last week, just days following an Egyptian court found him guilty of spreading false news, following an article he wrote in 2019 regarding alleged discrimination once morest Coptic Christians in Egypt.
Zaki, who is a Christian, was arrested in February 2020 shortly following landing in Cairo for a short trip. He served 22 months in prison before being released in 2021 prior to trial, on the condition that he remain in Egypt.
He received a master’s degree with distinction a few days ago from the University of Bologna, and defended his thesis by video.
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