The Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced former president Moncef Marzouki in absentia to eight years in prison, according to a statement from the court’s spokesman, Mohamed Zaitouneh, given to Tunisia’s state news agency TAP. Marzouki, who resides in Paris, faced charges rooted in statements that authorities claim contravene laws against incitement and advocating the overthrow of the government, as expressed in Article 72 of the Tunisian Penal Code.
Zaitouneh emphasized that these contentious statements were allegedly made abroad at a conference where Marzouki called for changes to Tunisia’s governmental system. The charges included instigation of citizens to wield arms against each other and charges of contributing to nationwide disorder, murder, and looting. However, Zaitouneh did not provide a timeline of these alleged statements. In response to the verdict, Marzouki’s lawyer, Samir Ben Amor, expressed to the Associated Press that the ruling “reflects the hardening of the government’s political stance against its opponents”. Marzouki has yet to make a public comment.
After his service as the first President of Tunisia following its democratic transition from 2011 to 2014, Moncef Marzouki has consistently criticized the current president, Kaïs Saied. Marzouki has referred to Saied’s 2021 actions, which culminated in the dissolution of the parliament, dismissal of the government, and consolidation of powers by decree, as a coup. Despite the opposition, Saied has defended these actions as crucial steps towards averting prolonged chaos in Tunisia. To seek public consensus, Saied in 2022 conducted a constitutional referendum to reinforce his expanded constitutional capacities, albeit with limited public participation.
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