News Center- French-Iranian novelist and cartıınist Marjane Satrapi has refused the Légion d'Honneur, France's highest order of merit, to protest the country’s “hypocrisy” in its dealings with Iran.

In a letter to the French Minister of Culture posted on social media on Monday, Marjane Satrapi said she would not accept the award.

“I cannot ignore what I see as a hypocritical attitude toward Iran, which forged the other part of my identity,” she wrote, adding that she meant no disrespect to the award. In her post on Instagram, she cited France's visa policies, which prevent dissidents leaving Iran for the European country.

“I cannot 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 come to see what the country of the enlightenment and human rights looks like.”

Marjane Satrapi 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 French news agency AFP on Monday.

In July, Marjane Satrapi was awarded France's Légion d'Honneur. The award ceremony is planned to be held later this month.