Zaki in Italy: «The city of return is a political message». Meloni: “I’m not looking for gratitude” – Corriere.it

«The choice of flight and city of arrival are a political message». Last meters for Patrick Zaki before boarding the plane that will take him to Italy today.

It was really intense hours, in which maintaining lucidity has not always been easy. «The newspapers attacked me, they reached me pressure from all sides» he explains while he is packing his bags. But he can’t help but be an activist. And in the end he reiterates: “That of the flight and the city of arrival are a political message”. The reference is to the controversies that arose after the decision not to use the state flight made available by Palazzo Chigi. And then he adds: «I have decided not to say anything more until I cross the borders. At that time I will clarify everything».

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who, al Tg1
, she explains: «It was an important goal for us, I am very happy to have achieved it and I want to say, with respect to the debate of these days, that I do not expect gratitude for this, I am not interested. It was right to do it and we did it ».

After rounds of phone calls, consultations, pressures, postponements and indecisions, the travel plan is finally decided. There has been a postponement of the return to Italy due to bureaucratic problems related to the release of the authorization to travel abroad. But, finally, this afternoon Zaki lands at Malpensa. Then, by car, towards Bologna together with the rector Giovanni Molari and professor Rita Monticelli. They will be the first two faces that the researcher will see after three years. No statement to journalists will be made at the airport, reads the University press release. The appointment for the press is in the evening in Room VIII Centenary of the rectorate.

To fuel the controversy of the last few daysmashed potato Zaki’s choice not to go to Rome first to meet and thank the political figures who finalized his release and permission to leave the country. No appointments are scheduled with executive members for the moment, just as the physical conferral of honorary Bolognese citizenship by the Municipality has not yet been scheduled. However the agenda could obviously change in the next few days. Even for the official holiday we will have to wait for July 30th. But it is absolutely not to be excluded that in the evening Patrick will already be spending this evening embracing friends and supporters in the square sung by Lucio Dalla.

«But how long will you stay in Italy, Patrick?», is one of the many questions that friends, journalists and supporters are asking the researcher. Zaki in recent days has explained about want to stay in Italy for a couple of weeks then go back to Egypt and organize the wedding with Reny and wanting to travel between Italy and Egypt. “Cairo remains my home,” he explained to al Courier some weeks ago. And it is no coincidence that, even in the first statements after his release, thoughts went to the other Egyptian political prisoners whom Patrick promises not to forget.

Nor is it a coincidence that Muhammad Al-Baqer was one of the first people to celebrate his liberation with him., a well-known lawyer engaged in the defense of human rights, also pardoned by Al Sisi and defender of Alaa Abd El-Fattah, one of the best known Egyptian sightings still in his cell. “Joy, joy,” writes Patrick on social media. Today, another happiness. That of returning to Bologna, 1,262 days after that accursed February 7th.

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