ROME (AP) – Two prominent Italian intellectuals on Monday announced that they would return their Legion of Honor awards to France in protest of the award, despite the human rights violations of his government to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Corrado Aguas, a longtime journalist for La Repubblica and a former member of the European Parliament for the far left of Italy, returned his gift to the French embassy on Monday. Giovanni Melendry, the former Italian Minister of Culture and head of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, announced that he would follow suit.
It cited both Egypt’s involvement in the abduction and torture of an Italian doctoral research student in Cairo and other human rights abuses by the regime.
French President Emmanuel Macron rolled out the red carpet for L-CC’s two-day visit last week and was accorded the highest French honors during a closed door ceremony on September 7, which was made public shortly after the Egyptian president released its photos.
Last week, Rome prosecutors formally prosecuted four high-ranking members of the Egyptian security forces in connection with the death of Giulio Regeni, who killed relations between Rome and Cairo in 2016 and promoted the Italian human rights community.
Speaking outside the French embassy, Aguirre returned his 2007 gift “out of a sense of anger”, while L-CC received the award, while Rome prosecutors described the torture that Regini endured on a parliamentary committee. .
“The two things were together,” he told reporters. “I could not help but react.”
In a Facebook post on Monday, Melandry said he, too, would return the honor he received in 2003, adding that it was sad but necessary to clarify what “honor” meant.
“I hope this gesture will help open up a transparent and friendly conflict between our two countries, and we want to protect, strengthen and continue to ‘respect’ its values in a democratic Europe and a globalized world,” he wrote.
L-Sissy’s state visit provoked opposition from human rights activists, who were angry that France welcomes L-Sissy despite severe repression against dissent in Egypt’s modern history. It was not known at the time what Macron had given L-Ciss the highest distinction between the Legion of Honor order, the Grand-Crooks or the Grand-Cross.
The award ceremony was held without press before dinner at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris. This event is not listed in Macron’s official agenda.
The French president said such a ceremony is usually part of the protocol during government visits.
The French ambassador to Italy, Christian Massett, said he respected Aguirre and defended the government’s human rights record.
“France is at the forefront of human rights and has made no compromises,” he tweeted after Aguirre returned his gift. “During President L-Sissy’s visit to Paris, many cases were discussed in a very relevant and efficient manner.”
Legion of Honor awarded to French warriors, writers, artists and merchants. But it has also been given to leaders with questionable human rights records, including Syrian President Bashar Assad (although he returned in 2018) and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the wake of the #MeToo sexual harassment allegations against him, France sometimes extorted honor people in 2017, including Harvey Weinstein.
During the visit, France and Egypt signed agreements for French development assistance and hospital and transport cooperation.
In his press conference with L-Sissy, Macron justified such cooperation and refused to condition it on human rights issues, saying Egypt was France’s key partner in the fight against terrorism.
“It would be ineffective on human rights grounds and negative in the fight against terrorism – that’s why I wouldn’t do it,” he said.
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Sylvie Corbett contributed from Paris.