[ad_1]
Press play to listen to this article
ROME — Italian recipients of the Légion d’honneur — France’s highest order of merit — are returning their awards in protest at Paris’ close relations with Egypt.
The news that Emmanuel Macron gave the Légion d’honneur to his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during a state visit to France last week proved too much for several high-profile Italians already aggrieved at what they say is a lack of solidarity from Paris in the case of murdered doctoral student Giulio Regeni.
Relations between Italy and Egypt have been strained since the murder of Regeni, whose body was found on the side of a highway on the outskirts of Cairo in February 2016. Earlier this month, prosecutors in Rome charged four members of the Egyptian security forces with kidnap, torture and murder.
The prosecutors say Cairo has refused to fully cooperate with the investigation, came up with implausible explanations for the death, and declined to provide addresses for those charged.
Politicians and campaigners lamented a lack of solidarity from Italy’s neighbors. Despite a resolution in the European Parliament calling for the suspension of security cooperation with Egyptian authorities, and condemning arms deals between Egypt and France, Germany and the U.K., European countries showed little support for Italy after the murder. Rome was alone in recalling its ambassador to Cairo. However, the Italian government’s own actions have also come in for criticism. In June, Regeni’s family hit out at an arms deal between Italy and Egypt worth an estimated $1.2 billion.
Macron hosted el-Sisi for talks at the Elysée Palace in defiance of sharp criticism from human rights groups, before declaring at a joint news conference that he would not tie trade and defense deals to human rights. The decoration ceremony was not publicized in France, and only emerged later on an Egyptian government website.
Italian writer and former MEP Corrado Augias returned his Légion d’honneur to the French embassy in Rome on Monday, “in memory of Giulio Regeni.” He said the honor should not be given to a head of state “who has objectively become an accomplice to heinous criminals.”
In a letter to the French ambassador, Augias said he “would have expected from President Macron a gesture of understanding, if not of brotherhood, especially in the name of the Europe which we are trying so hard to build together.”
Giovanna Melandri, former Cabinet minister and now chair of the Human Foundation think tank, said she was returning her award “in an attempt to open a frank and friendly discussion on the values that we want to defend, strengthen and honor in a democratic Europe.”
She told POLITICO, “I understand the complexities of diplomacy and the need to keep dialogue open … But how can you recognize honor in a regime that violates human rights, tortures and imprisons young people?”
Another recipient of the award, Emma Bonino — a former Italian foreign minister, European commissioner and MEP — wrote to Macron saying that she was “embarrassed” to be in the company of el-Sisi as a Légion d’honneur holder.
An Elysee official said protocol dictates that every president making a state visit to France receives the Grand Croix de la Légion d’honneur, but clarified that “he doesn’t receive it in his personal capacity.”
“The president said that receiving el-Sisi didn’t prevent him from discussing human rights,” the official said, adding that maintaining dialogue with the Egyptian leader enabled the French to raise specific cases of human rights with his delegation.
Following the decision to charge members of the Egyptian security services with Regeni’s killing last week, the Italian government is stepping up efforts to coordinate European allies in a unified approach against Egypt. A spokesman for the foreign minister said “plans to involve European allies to help apply coordinated pressure on Regeni are intensifying.”
The Italian prime minister, foreign minister, interior minister and defense minister will meet on Wednesday to discuss what collective measures to push for, the spokesman said.
Melandri said Europe and Italy need to be more proactive in their fight for justice for Regeni. “It is a question of humanity, sovereignty and European identity. It is priceless and worth more than any medal.”
Rym Momtaz contributed to this article.
[ad_2]
Source link
