BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
The criminal chamber specializing in terrorism cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced in absentia the former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki to 22 years in prison, to begin immediately.
The court also handed the same sentence to his former advisor, Imed Daimi, and former bar association president, Abderrazak Kilani.
The ruling, announced on Friday, stems from terrorism-related charges, though details of the case and specific accusations have not yet been disclosed publicly.
The verdict was delivered in their absence, as the three men are on the run abroad. Two other defendants, also on the run, received the same sentence on similar charges.
According to judicial sources, the Tunis Court of Appeal, through its indictment chamber specializing in terrorism cases, had previously ordered their referral to the criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance.
The latter was therefore asked to rule on several accusations related to terrorist offenses, without the precise details of the charges being made public at this stage.
