Former Tunisian president sentenced to 22 years in prison for threatening state security

Tunisia’s former President Moncef Marzouki has been sentenced to prison in absentia for allegedly threatening state security.

A Tunisian court on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, sentenced former President Moncef Marzouki to 22 years in absentia, charging him with “undermining state security.”

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Marzouki served as Tunisia’s first democratically elected president from 2011 to 2014 following the Arab Spring revolution, and has been living in exile in France.

The 80-year-old former leader is a vocal opponent of Saied, who has faced prior convictions, including an 8-year sentence in 2024 and a 4-year term in 2021, both handed down in absentia.

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Marzouki’s supporters, including his legal team, argue the verdicts are politically motivated, aimed at silencing a prominent voice for civilian rights.