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| - Italian writer Corrado Augias returned his Legion of Honour -- France's highest award -- in protest Monday at the decision by Paris to give the honour to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Augias, a journalist and former member of the European Parliament, took his medal back to the French embassy in Rome, accusing Sisi of being "objectively complicit, as head of state, in the criminal behaviour committed by his men". French President Emmanuel Macron last week gave Sisi the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour during a state visit to Paris, sparking outrage among activists who say France should do more to raise concerns about human rights in Egypt. "On this occasion President Al-Sisi, who at the very least has an ambiguous position, could have been received with all the state honours... but without this further recognition," Augias told reporters. The parents of Giulio Regeni, an Italian student tortured and murdered in Cairo in 2016 in an attack Italian prosecutors blame on Egyptian security officials, welcomed the gesture. "Augias' example is one of wonderful consistency and support for the cause of civil rights," Paola and Claudio Regeni told Italian media on Sunday. Roberto Fico, speaker of Italy's lower house of parliament, also hailed the move. "Europe must be united and supportive, never selfish, even more so when fundamental rights are at stake," he said in a Twitter post. gg-ar/jj
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