Italy's lower house of parliament has called Egypt to account over the unsolved 2016 killing of 28-year-old researcher Giulio Regeni, saying its responsibility in the case was "clear and specific".
"Until now, Italy has legitimately followed the route of judicial cooperation aimed at identifying the individuals who are guilty of causing Giulio Regeni's death," according to the final report on Wednesday of a parliamentary committee tasked with probing his killing.
"It is good that it (Italy) has insisted, despite the ever-more-apparent stonewalling by Egypt, which the statements it has made during international encounters can no longer hide," the report went on.
"But at a political level, it is time to hold the Egyptian state to account in that its responsibilities concerning Giulio Regeni's fate are clear and specific."
Four Egyptian National Security Agency officers went on trial in absentia in Italy in mid-October for Regeni's abduction, torture and murder but the trial has stalled because a Court of Assizes judge ruled it could not proceed until the defendants received notice of being on trial.
Regeni's killing caused a diplomatic rift between Italy and Egypt, which Italy accuses of a lack of cooperation with its investigators.
Regeni vanished in Cairo on 25 January 2016 and his mutilated body was found on 3 February beside the Cairo-Alexandria highway. He had been tortured to death.
At the time of Regeni's disappearance, he had been researching independent trade unions in Egypt - a politically sensitive topic. The Egyptian government continues to deny involvement in the case.
