‘Legion d’honneur worthless’: France awards highest honour to Saudi Prince two months after condemning country for executing 47 people

French President Francois Hollande is facing harsh criticism from French citizens after awarding the country’s top honour, the Legion d’Honneur, to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef last Friday.

The President’s office confirmed the news on Sunday, two days after Saudi’s State media SPA reported that Nayef, heir to the throne as well as Saudi’s interior minister, was granted the national order “due to his great efforts in the region and world for combatting extremism and terrorism”.

The Legion of Honour was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in May 1802, and recognises distinguished services for France. In December 2015, 12 West Australian World War II veterans received the award for their services to liberating France.

Considering France was openly condemning Saudi Arabia’s execution of 47 prisoners in January, including the beheading of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr for “terrorism”, the widespread backlash against awarding Nayef the honour came as no surprise.

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Many users took to Twitter to call out the irony of the move by President Hollande, while others labeled the act as “shameful” and making the legion d’honneur “worthless”. Some users tagged their posts with #honte, which is French for shame.

However, a spokesman for the President told the AFP that awarding the honour to Nayef was part of a “common protocol practice” in recognising foreign individuals.

The aide added that Hollande himself had received Saudi Arabia’s top honour during his visit to the Middle Eastern country.

However, the French Embassy in Canberra states on its website that awarding of the decoration, decided by France's President, is "subject to a very strict examination."

"The delivery of the Legion of Honour is the subject of a solemn ceremony in which a French authority representative thanks the recipient for their services for France," the site adds.

Nayef, 56, is Saudi’s King Salman’s nephew and first in line to the throne. According to FT, the man known as MbN is responsible for the kingdom’s domestic security, as well as Saudi Arabia’s policy in Syria, and is recognised for his role in cracking down on al-Qaeda in 2003.

His cousin and the king’s son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is Minister of Defence, and seen by pundits as the one wielding more and more power.

Saudi Arabia has executed 70 citizens so far this year, including the 47 death sentences for “terrorism” carried out on January 2.

In 2015, the Kingdom reportedly executed 153 people, most for drug trafficking or murder.

Saudi Arabia abides by Sharia Law, which rules crimes like murder, armed robbery and rape as punishable by death. According to Amnesty International, beheadings are the most common execution method, but some are carried out by firing squad.