Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Unimore joins the national initiative “Universities for Giulio Regeni. Ten years on, an initiative for academic freedom”

The initiative was presented today in the Italian Senate during a press conference attended, among others, by Senator Elena Cattaneo, Giulio Regeni’s parents, lawyer Alessandra Ballerini, documentary director Simone Manetti, and authors Emanuele Cava and Matteo Billi. It consists of a series of events taking place between April and May 2026 across 76 universities throughout Italy, aimed at an audience of more than 15,000 people, including students, researchers, academic staff and members of the public.

The initiative represents a moment of collective reflection on the value of academic freedom and on the commitment of the academic community to defending human rights, in memory of Giulio Regeni, a young researcher murdered in Egypt. His body, bearing clear signs of torture, was discovered on 3 February 2016 on the outskirts of Cairo.

“Thanks to the courage and strength of his family,” Senator Cattaneo recalls, “Giulio Regeni’s story did not end with the discovery of his lifeless body in Cairo ten years ago. On the contrary, Giulio continues to live on and to act through a movement of people who recognise the fundamental value of freedom — the very freedom that Giulio defended as a scholar.”

“We are honoured and grateful for this initiative,” said Giulio’s parents, Paola Deffendi and Claudio Regeni, “which involves numerous universities, with professors, students and doctoral candidates — who, we stress, must always be protected. The documentary conveys both Giulio’s integrity and passion as a researcher, and the violations of rights committed against him.”

The event organised by Unimore will take place on 20 May 2026, on the occasion of the International Day for Academic Freedom, at the Department of Law. It will feature a screening of the documentary “Giulio Regeni – Tutto il male del mondo”, preceded by a video message from Giulio’s parents, Paola Deffendi and Claudio Regeni. A discussion will follow.

As stated by the Vice-Rector for Research, Professor Fabio Pellacini, “the national initiative Universities for Giulio Regeni. Ten years on, an initiative for academic freedom is of the utmost importance in reaffirming — as also stated in Article 13 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union — that the arts and scientific research are free, and that academic freedom must be respected.”

“The Unimore initiative joins that of more than 70 universities in calling for truth and justice for Giulio Regeni. In many parts of the world, academic freedom is denied due to armed conflict, military regimes and systematic violations of human rights. Unimore aims to strengthen actions and research to protect students and academic staff from at-risk areas, in coordination with major international networks engaged in these issues,” emphasised Professor Maria Chiara Rioli, Delegate for Peace and Social Equity.

“The national initiative in which Unimore is firmly participating represents a highly significant opportunity to commemorate Giulio Regeni and to reaffirm our commitment as an academic community to safeguarding the safety, wellbeing and freedom of education, training and research for students and for all teaching, research and technical-administrative staff,” added Professor Elena Bassoli, Delegate for Equal Opportunities and Chair of the University’s Equal Opportunities Committee.

The hashtag chosen for social media is #UniversitàperGiulio.

The initiative “Universities for Giulio Regeni ” is supported by the Fondazione Elena Cattaneo ETS, in collaboration with Fandango and Ganesh Produzioni.

With this participation, Unimore renews its commitment to academic freedom and to the protection of fundamental rights — essential values for the advancement of knowledge and society.

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng