Riyaz Patel
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, longtime Tunisian president and the first autocrat to be ousted by the wave of demonstrations known as the Arab Spring, passed away Thursday, Tunisia’s foreign ministry has said.
Ben Ali died in Saudi Arabia at the age of 83, several days after reports emerged that he had been hospitalised in the Saudi capital Riyadh and was in critical condition.
His lawyer, Mounir bin Salha, said on Facebook that Ben Ali died in Jeddah and that he’ll be buried Friday in Mecca.
He had lived in exile in the Gulf kingdom since 14 January 2011, one month into protests against his 24 years of rule.
He is survived by his wife Leila and their three children, as well as by three daughters from his first marriage, Ghazwa, Dorsaf and Cyrine.
Ben Ali never served time in prison despite having been sentenced to jail by Tunisian courts in absentia for abuse
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