On 25 January, the fifth anniversary of the Egyptian street uprising against Hosni Mubarak, Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old Italian student attached to Cambridge University – who had been living in Cairo to carry out research on local workers’ movements – left his home in the early evening in the Dokki neighbourhood, on the left bank of the Nile, to meet with a friend just four metro stops away. He never reached his destination.

On 3 February, Mr Regeni’s body was discovered in a ditch in a Cairo suburb, half-naked and showing signs of torture: multiple cigarette burns, bone fractures, his nails pulled out. Egyptian authorities have denied any involvement, and claimed they would cooperate with a team of Italian investigators in getting to the bottom of the crime. But Mr Regeni’s death has triggered a wave of protest in Italy and elsewhere. Many fear that those responsible for the murder will never be identified and brought to justice.

An international petition launched by Cambridge professors has collected thousands of signatures among academics worldwide, calling on Egypt’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, to allow “an independent and impartial investigation into all instances of forced disappearances, cases of torture and deaths in detention” in recent months in Egypt. This mobilisation is a good thing – not only so that the truth behind the circumstances of Mr Regeni’s death can come out, but because this tragic case has only highlighted the need for a larger public outcry, as well as European diplomatic action over human rights abuses under Egypt’s new authoritarian system.

On the day Mr Regeni disappeared, Egyptian security forces had been carrying out a severe crackdown to prevent any public protest on the anniversary of the Tahrir Square uprising. There is as yet no clear proof that the young Italian fell victim to these measures, nor that he was arrested or placed in detention – but the traces of torture found on his body are reminiscent of the methods used in Egypt’s jails, and it is noteworthy that Mr Regeni had been vocal in denouncing the repressive policies of the Sisi regime, including in various publications. Mr Regeni’s friends have been pointing an accusing finger at the armed branch of Egypt’s interior ministry, the “National Security Agency”, which has a reputation for atrocities against detainees.

The fate of one Italian student, however tragic and shocking, should not blind anyone to the fact that the first victims of Egypt’s slide back to military dictatorship since Mr Sisi came to power on the back of the 2013 putsch, are Egyptians themselves – especially those who dare express any form of political opposition.

Since Egypt’s cooperation is being sought by western governments in the fight against terrorism, they have mostly opted to stay silent about the violence of repression in the country. That is a terrific mistake. Egypt’s current spiral of abuse and autocracy will ultimately only feed terrorism – not help defeat it.

Giulio Regeni was passionate about Arab culture and history, and he supported the democratic aspirations of 2011 that have certainly not gone away. His funeral will be held in Italy, in Fiumicello, on Friday. No effort must be spared in order to bring out the truth about his death – and all other forced disappearances in Egypt.