Tunisia court verdict on Ben Ali a 'joke': Attorney (click title to entry - thank you)

Jun 21, 2011

BEIRUT - A TUNISIAN court verdict (click title to entry - thank you) sentencing ousted leader Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in absentia to 35 years in prison for misappropriating public funds was a 'joke', his attorney in Beirut told AFP on Monday.

'This is a joke,' attorney Akram Azoury said shortly after the verdict was delivered. 'You don't retaliate to a joke. You just laugh.' Mr Azoury, who does not represent Leila Trabelsi, said he would recommend Ben Ali leave Saudi Arabia, where he has lived with his family since January 14, and head to the European Union to avoid an extradition request.

'This is rather good news because no court of justice in Europe can recognise this judgment, as it violates all criteria of fair trial and judgment,' Mr Azoury said. 'I will recommend president Ben Ali move to Europe if he agrees,' he added. 'This will give him immunity against any request for extradition.'

Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi, who fled their country with their children to Saudi Arabia amid a popular uprising against the ex-leader, were charged with embezzlement after the discovery of money and jewellery in their palace in the outskirts of Tunis…

...During Tunisia's popular uprising, (click here) which led to the ouster of President Zine el Abidine ben Ali in January, tourists deserted the country en masse.

Advertising agencies are now trying to attract tourists and sunbathers back to Tunisia's beaches and Roman ruins through a controversial billboard campaign that is stirring the pot in foreign capitals.
One billboard appearing on public buses in London features an image of a woman receiving a back massage with the accompanying text, "They say that in Tunisia some people receive heavy-handed treatment."
Another poster reportedly running in the campaign depicts the country's fabled Roman ruins next to the line: "They say Tunisia is nothing but ruins."

More than 300 people died in the Tunisian uprising, which began in December. Opponents of Ben Ali say they were rounded up, detained and tortured in prisons during his rule....

Tunisia's Ben Ali And His Wife Convicted In Absentia  (click here)

by Eyder Peralta

05:14 pm

June 20, 2011

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the former leader of Tunisia, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after a day-long trial in Tunis. Ben Ali and his wife, who sought exile in Saudi Arabia in January, were convicted in absentia. The two were charged with embezzlement among other things….