A prominent Egyptian activist, who recently regained freedom from detention, arrived in Italy on Sunday to a warm reception from the Italian government, which had vigorously advocated for his cause.
Patrick George Zaki was met with applause and surrounded by a multitude of video and still cameras as he stepped into the arrivals hall at Milan’s Malpensa Airport after completing his journey on a commercial flight. Subsequently, he proceeded to Bologna, where he had been residing and studying before being apprehended in Cairo in 2020.
Addressing reporters at the Milan airport, Zaki, 32, expressed, “This is the most significant day of my life.” In Bologna, he further vowed to continue his dedicated work in upholding human rights.
Zaki’s case resonated deeply in Italy, drawing parallels to the tragic ordeal of Italian student Giulio Regeni, who was kidnapped and murdered in Cairo in 2016. Since Zaki’s arrest in 2020, the Italian government had repeatedly called for his release.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, speaking in Rome, stated that Zaki’s return was “the outcome of diplomacy, built on the principles of mutual respect.” She also emphasised that Italy had not ceased its efforts to seek clarity from Egyptian authorities regarding Regeni’s fate, affirming that the matter remains open.
Last week, Zaki was granted a pardon, just days after an Egyptian court found him guilty of spreading false news, stemming from an article he had written in 2019, shedding light on alleged discrimination against Coptic Christians in Egypt.
Zaki, a Christian, was apprehended in February 2020 shortly after arriving in Cairo for a brief visit from Italy. He spent 22 months in prison before his release in 2021, with the condition that he remained within Egypt’s borders.
Earlier this month, he successfully defended his master’s thesis via video conference and received his degree with distinction from the University of Bologna. Upon his return to Bologna, university officials warmly welcomed him and presented him with his diploma in person.