Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, a virulent critic of the current head of state Kais Saied, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for attempting to “cause disorder” in the country, local media reported on the evening of Friday February 23. This verdict was pronounced by the criminal chamber of the Court of First Instance of Tunis, according to these sources.
Living in France, Mr. Marzouki, the first democratically elected president in Tunisia after the 2011 Revolution, was prosecuted in this case after statements published on social networks. He was found guilty at first instance of attempting to “change the form of government”of“incite people to arm themselves against each other” and of “cause disorder and looting” in the country, said private radio Mosaïque FM, citing a judicial source. Contacted by Agence France-Presse, the spokesperson for the Tunis public prosecutor’s office could not be reached.
At the end of 2021, Mr. Marzouki had already been sentenced to four years in prison for “endangering state security abroad” after having, during a demonstration in Paris, called on the French government to “reject all support” to President Saied, whom he had accused of having “plotted against the Revolution”.
An “enemy of Tunisia” for the current president
Since November 2021, he has also been the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by a Tunisian judge shortly after Mr. Saied had asked to investigate various comments made by Mr. Marzouki, described as a “enemy of Tunisia”, and to withdraw his diplomatic passport.
After President Saied’s coup in July 2021 by which he granted himself all powers, Mr. Marzouki increased his interventions on television channels and social networks to call for the dismissal of a man he qualified for “putschist” And “dictator”.
Historical opponent of the dictatorship of Ben Ali then first president of the post-revolution (2011-2014), Moncef Marzouki, 78 years old, has long symbolized the fight for democracy in Tunisia, even if his image has been blurred due to notably his controversial alliance with the Islamo-conservative party Ennahdha, thanks to which he won the presidential election, according to analysts.