The detention of Italian-Egyptian adult film actor Elanain Sherif, known as Sheri Taliani, in Cairo has sparked concern in Italy, where unresolved tensions linger over the 2016 killing of student Giulio Regeni in Egypt.
Sherif, 44, was arrested at Cairo airport on Nov. 9 and transferred to a prison near Alexandria without explanation, his lawyer confirmed. Publishing pornography online is illegal in Egypt, which may have prompted his arrest, though Egyptian authorities have not clarified the charges.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani assured the public that officials are closely monitoring the case. Sherif, who holds dual citizenship, was last seen by his mother a day after his detention.
This incident revives memories of Regeni, a Cambridge student abducted and killed in Cairo, and Patrick Zaki, an Egyptian researcher pardoned after a controversial prison sentence.
