Tunisia’s Now President Moncef Marzouki Was Banned From Entering Beirut Two Years Ago

Maya Khourchid:

Two years ago, Moncef al Marzouki, then a Tunisian political thinker, writer and human rights activist was due to give a lecture in Beirut. […] But two weeks before the event, Marzouki was banned from entering the country. His visa was rejected by the Lebanese General Security and his German hosts were given no explanation.

The man trusted Lebanon as the only place in the Arab world where he can promote his ideas of independence from tyranny and freedom in the Arab world, and naturally we disappointed him. Things like this happen in Lebanon everyday, and not all of the victims end up becoming presidents.

Also: Moncef Marzouki, The Arab World’s First Real President