In a recent verdict that has stirred international attention, a Tunisian court has handed down an eight-year prison sentence in absentia to former President Moncef Marzouki. The charges, as stated by Mohamed Zitouna, the spokesperson for the Tunis court, involve assaulting state security and fostering discord among Tunisians. This development marks the second time Marzouki has been sentenced in absentia; the first was in 2021, where he received a four-year sentence.
Marzouki, who led Tunisia from 2011 to 2014 and now resides in Paris, has been an outspoken critic of the current Tunisian President, Kais Saied. His condemnation is rooted in Saied’s controversial decision in 2021 to dissolve Parliament, dismiss the government, and rule by decree—a move that Marzouki and several opposition leaders have labeled a coup. President Saied’s subsequent actions, including the enactment of new constitutional powers ratified in a low-turnout referendum in 2022, have only intensified the political turmoil within the country. Saied, however, maintains that these steps were essential to salvage Tunisia from prolonged instability, vehemently denying any allegations of orchestrating a coup.
The political landscape in Tunisia has grown increasingly repressive, with the arrest of most opposition figures since last year. Among those detained are Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist Ennahda party, and Abir Moussi, head of the Free Constitutional Party, alongside other notable opposition personalities such as Jawher Ben Mbarek, Khayam Turki, Ghazi Chaouachi, Issam Chabbi, Abdelhamid Jalasi, and Ridha Belhaj. These arrests, purportedly on suspicions of plotting against state security, highlight a significant crackdown on political dissent.
Critics of President Saied argue that his administration is clamping down on freedom of expression, imposing authoritarian governance, and dismantling the democratic framework established following the 2011 revolution that ushered in a new era of governance in Tunisia. Saied, however, dismisses these accusations, branding his detractors as criminals, traitors, and terrorists. He has also issued stark warnings against any judicial attempts to release the detained opposition members, stating that such actions would be considered complicity. This unfolding scenario in Tunisia paints a grim picture of the country’s democratic backslide and raises significant concerns about the future of political freedom and stability in the North African nation.
