The French Diplomat Who Escaped the Fate of “Regeni” … A Chapter in the History of Repression in Egypt
André Michel André Michel’s Le repas du soir , published by the National Translation Centre and translated by Rasha Saleh, takes on particular significance when compared with what happened to the French diplomat André Michel and the Italian student Giulio Regeni. The book, set between the autumn of 1961 and the spring of 1962, recounts a nightmarish experience endured by the French diplomat in the State Security services and the appeals prison in Egypt. André Michel’s arrival in Egypt came at a time when cultural relations between Egypt and France were being restored after having been interrupted by the 1956 Tripartite Aggression. He began his mission in Cairo with optimism and enthusiasm, seeking to strengthen cultural ties between the French and Egyptian peoples through development projects focused on education and Egyptian antiquities. André, who had studied Arabic before coming to Egypt, began his activities with sightseeing and attempts to integrate with the Egyptian people, whom...