Italy requests presidential pardon for Nessy Guerra after overnight detention in Egypt

Guerra, who is unable to leave Egypt with her three-year-old daughter because of a custody battle with her estranged Egyptian husband, was taken from her Cairo home by police at around 3 a.m. She was released later on Wednesday after Italian Ambassador Agostino Palese secured her freedom at Tajani’s urging. Egyptian police said the detention stemmed from a judge’s order granting the father access to the child, though Guerra’s lawyer called it a pretext to arrest her.

Tajani told the Chamber of Deputies that the embassy handed over the pardon request and that two new lawyers had been appointed by Guerra, one for an appeal before the Court of Cassation and another to seek the lifting of the travel ban on her daughter Aisha. The adultery conviction, a criminal offence in Egypt, was upheld on appeal and a separate child-custody case remains open. The foreign minister said he was in contact with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, who gave assurances of cooperation to reach a rapid solution.

Guerra’s husband, Tamer Hamouda, has a criminal record in Italy and was recently arrested and released on bail for allegedly threatening the Italian consul in Hurghada. The Italian foreign ministry said it was exerting high-level pressure on Egyptian authorities to prevent further incidents of violence or threats from him.