Ms. al-Hathloul is the sister of feminist Loujain al-Hathloul, a women’s rights icon in the Saudi kingdom, who spent nearly three years in prison before being granted parole last February.
She told the same news agency: “Rather than supporting the victims of systematic human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, Macron prefers to rehabilitate a crown prince whose abuses have been widely condemned by the international community.”
French politician Aurélien Taché said Macron should be ashamed of the visit, adding: “It is not in the Elysée, but in a police station that MBS should be welcomed in France.”
The Elysée Palace said the dinner was necessary amid rising energy prices, the Middle East food crisis and concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.