On July 22, 2022, Marwen was one of the participants in the protest movement condemning the referendum and President Kais Saied’s constitution. The protest was suppressed by police forces that targeted a group of young individuals, among them Marwen, whose clothes were torn when he was arrested and taken to one of the vehicles parked in the area. He was then taken to the police station in Bab Bhar, where the protestors were subjected to verbal abuse, threats, and severe physical assault.  “When we entered the police station, we were asked to kneel and face the wall. They started filming us without our consent, and when we expressed our objection, they subjected us to more beatings and kicks. We had not been initially informed about where we would be taken until it was later revealed that we were held at a detention center in Al-Gorjani. Inside, there were only eight chairs for about eleven detainees, so many of us had to sit on the floor while we waited for hours. Initially, the National Agency for Prevention of Torture and Lawyers had been prevented from visiting us. Subsequently, they were allowed access to us after approximately eight hours of detention. We were interrogated from midnight until 4 in the morning, in poor conditions, without being offered food or water.” testified Marwen to Intersection Association. Later, Marwen and the rest of the detainees were taken for a medical examination, where they faced another type of violation as they were subjected to a genetic test without being informed or giving their consent.

On top of that, all of this time of detention was not authorized by the prosecution as required by law. Later, during their appearance in court, Marwen narrated the extent of harassment they had experienced from the security forces, who repeatedly threatened them with imprisonment and legal consequences. However, the investigations were eventually closed, and the case was dismissed; thus, the judge ordered the release of all the detainees.