17 Dec 2022; MEMO: Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has called on Tunisians to resume the revolution to end what he called the "coup" that President Kais Saied carried out against the revolution, put him on trial and restore Tunisian democracy.
In a speech addressed to Tunisians on his Facebook page on the 12th anniversary of the Tunisian revolution, Marzouki explained the situation that Tunisia has reached, which he described as: "A source of irony among the peoples of the world."
"The date of the anniversary of our glorious revolution is 17 December. Twelve years passed for our dreams, hopes and pains. On this day, we must remember Mohamed Bouazizi and all the people who died in the same horrible way he died, and we must remember the 308 martyrs who sacrificed their lives for us to enjoy freedom. We must remember the two thousand wounded who, unfortunately, did not get their rights, and their physical and psychological wounds still cause them all kinds of pain. We also must remember those glorious days when we became the pride of the Arab peoples," Marzouki expressed.
"We must also remember that this current dire situation in which we live is the result of two crimes: the first crime is pushing the people to revolt, and those who talk about their compassionate father forget that he is the one who forced Tunisians to revolt, take to the streets and initiate the revolution, and then hundreds of young people died. Due to their corruption, torture and control of wealth and power, they forced the people to revolt. They are the real criminals," he criticised.
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"The second crime is when this revolution was launched, and it was a civilised, democratic and peaceful revolution, which is above violence and revenge. They gathered themselves as a counter-revolution and exerted all their efforts to destroy this revolution. Thanks to Allah, today, this counter-revolution failed with all its methods."
Marzouki believes: "The counter-revolution thwarted the revolution, but it also failed in its economic and political aspects. After we were a source of pride for other peoples, we indeed have turned into an irony."
"We are a country without sovereignty. We are controlled by the intelligence services of three or four countries. We are a country on the brink of bankruptcy. We are a people without hope and a roadmap to end this tragic situation. We are a people who beg without dignity, freedom, economic progress, and independence for our national decision," explained Marzouki, shedding light on the current situation in Tunisia.
He added: "This is what the counter-revolution has brought to us, whose leaders talk about the black decade. They took eight years from this decade, during which they destroyed the state, and after that, they mocked the revolution that brought freedom and dignity and produced the best constitution and a president who was defending you, and you were proud of him, and he was proud of you. Now, look at the irony that we have reached."
Marzouki accused regional countries of conspiring against the Tunisian revolution and the Arab Spring revolutions, specifically mentioning Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). "This situation must not continue. It is a crime committed against us with the help of foreign powers, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, who conspired against our revolution and the Arab Spring revolutions," Marzouki concluded.
