PNN – A court in Tunisia sentenced the former president of this country Monsef Marzouqi to 8 years in prison on the charge of trying to create chaos in Tunisia by issuing a verdict in absentia.
According to the International group of Pakistan News Network, the court of first instance in Tunisia sentenced the former president of this country, Monsef Marzouqi, who is one of the staunch opponents of the current president of Tunisia, Qais Saeed, to 8 years in prison by issuing a verdict in absentia.
“Mohammed Zaitouneh,” the official spokesperson of the Tunisian Court of First Instance, told the African News Agency of Tunis: “Marzouqi has been sentenced to 8 years in prison on charges of playing a role in changing the structure of the government, creating chaos in the country, and inciting the people to create an armed conflict.”
Marzouqi, who currently resides in France, is considered the first Tunisian president to enter the presidential palace after the 2011 revolution (the overthrow of the Ben Ali regime) through a democratic election.
Marzouqi’s criticisms of Qais Saeed’s actions (dissolving the parliament, changing the constitution and restricting the activities of political parties) caused him to be included in the list of opponents of the current president and a court case was filed against him.
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At the end of 2021, a court in Tunisia sentenced Marzouqi in absentia to four years in prison on the charge of “attacking the external security of the government” because he accused “Qais Saeed” of conspiratorial actions against the revolution of the Tunisian people during a demonstration in Paris.
On the order of the Tunisian president to conduct an investigation into Marzouqi’s words and positions, a Tunisian judge issued an international arrest warrant for him in November 2021.
78-year-old Marzouqi is a long-time opponent of the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was elected president after his overthrow and ruled Tunisia from 2011 to 2014.
Marzouqi is always considered as a symbol of the struggle for democracy in Tunisia.