Italian journalist and writer Corrado Ogas announced today, Sunday, that he will return the Legion of Honor - which he previously received - to France, in protest against his awarding to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
"I will go to the French embassy to return the Legion of Honor," Ogas wrote in a letter to the Italian left-wing newspaper "La Repubblica", to be published on Monday, December 14th. Because of my deep emotional bond with France, "which is his father's country.
Ogas, who received this medal in 2007, added, “In my opinion, President (French Emmanuel) Macron should not have awarded the Legion of Honor to a head of state who became a partner of terrible criminals. I say this is not only in commemoration of Giulio Regeni, but also for France, for the importance that is not Still represented by this medal. "
In January 2016, unidentified persons kidnapped the 28-year-old Italian student, Giulio Regeni, and his mutilated body was found a few days later in the suburbs of Cairo, and this case has strained relations between Egypt and Italy, as Rome accused the Egyptian authorities of not cooperating and even misleading Italian investigators.
Rome - who was angry - summoned its ambassador to Egypt temporarily, and is preparing to prosecute 4 Egyptian police, including a high-ranking officer, over the case of Regeni's murder.
President Emmanuel Macron presented the highest French medal to his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during his official visit to Paris a few days ago, and this matter sparked condemnation of human rights defenders due to the suppression of freedoms in his country, and sharp criticism on social media.