Marjane Satrapi, renowned for Persepolis, declined the French Legion of Honor, denouncing France’s “hypocrisy” regarding Iran. Her decision reflects a stand of solidarity with Iranian dissidents and a commitment to freedom defenders worldwide.
French-Iranian author and illustrator Marjane Satrapi, best known for the book and film Persepolis, has refused the French Legion of Honor over the country’s "hypocrisy" in its dealings with Iran.
In a letter to France's culture minister posted on social media on Monday, Satrapi said she would not accept the top state award at a ceremony planned later this month.
"I can’t ignore what I see as a hypocritical attitude towards Iran, which forged the other part of my identity," she wrote, adding that she meant no disrespect to the award.
In a post on Instagram, the 55-year-old explained her thinking in more detail, citing France’s visa policies, which prevent dissidents from leaving Iran for the European country.
"I can’t continue seeing the children of Iranian oligarchs come to spend their holidays in France, even become naturalized, while at the same time young dissidents have difficulty obtaining a tourist visa to see what the country of the Enlightenment and human rights looks like," she wrote.
Satrapi, an outspoken critic of Iran’s theocratic regime, arrived in France in 1994 and gained French nationality in 2006.
"When you have people who are fighting for democracy... you need to support them," she told AFP on Monday.
She joins an illustrious list of artists and intellectuals to have refused the Legion of Honor.
They include philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and, more recently, Nobel Prize-winning author Annie Ernaux and left-wing economist Thomas Piketty.
Past controversial recipients of the state award include Russian President Vladimir Putin and deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Persepolis recounts the story of Satrapi’s early life in Tehran, struggling under the restrictions imposed by Iran’s Islamic leadership after the 1979 revolution, before she is sent to Europe by her parents and begins a life in exile.
With AFP
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