Tunisian government dismisses prominent human rights activist.
On July 27, Marzouki was summoned to appear before the disciplinary council of the Ministry of Health to answer charges that a medical recommendation he presented for a leave of absence in early June, was fraudulent and that he had thus violated administrative procedures by travelling to Europe without permission. Marzouki, who had been forbidden to travel abroad for most of this past decade, had just returned to Tunisia after several weeks in Europe and the United States. In early June, after the return of his passport, Marzouki requested a two-week leave of absence from the university. This was refused, even though according to Marzouki, the term was finished, examinations had been graded, and he had several months of unused leave. He left for France in early June after securing the medical recommendation.