Interpol issues global arrest warrant for Ben Ali

Wed, 26 Jan 2011

Paris/Tunis - International police organization Interpol confirmed Wednesday that it had issued a global alert for the arrest of ousted ex-Tunisian leader Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and six of his relatives.

The alert was sent from Interpol's Tunis bureau to authorities in all 187 member countries, France-based Interpol said in a statement.

Tunisia's new transitional government wants Ben Ali, his wife Leila and other relatives on charges of property theft and the illegal transfer of foreign currency.

The alert requires Interpol member states to search for and arrest the suspects with a view to their extradition to Tunis, Interpol said.

The dictatorial Ben Ali abruptly left power on January 14 after a month of demonstrations and riots that cost dozens of lives, mostly those of unarmed protesters.

His family and relatives, particularly the Trabelsi clan, are accused of having used their political connections to amass massive wealth.

The move to have them arrested comes as Tunisians await the announcement, which had been set for Wednesday but now looked as if it could be delayed until Thursday, of a reshuffle of their transitional government.

Government ministers have been locked in discussions about what changes should be made to the week-old unity government to win it more support.

Thousands of protesters have been demonstrating daily to demand ministers linked to the Ben Ali regime be dismissed.

The protests continued Wednesday in the capital Tunis and in the second-largest city of Sfax.

Police in Tunis fired tear gas at a group of around 1,000 protesters, who have been staging a sit-in outside Ghannouchi's offices since Sunday.

Witnesses in Sfax, where a general strike was called Wednesday, said tens of thousands of people marched to demand the new government be scrapped.

A similar strike has been called for Thursday in Sidi Bouzid, the central town where the Jasmine Revolution began on December 15, with the self-immolation of a vegetable vendor in protest over official harassment.

Meanwhile, the justice ministry also revealed Wednesday that around 11,000 prisoners had taken advantage of the chaos that reigned in the first days after Ben Ali's departure to break out of jail.

A fraction of the escapees - 1,532 prisoners - have since handed themselves in, Chebbi said, adding authorities were investigating the breakouts.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/364400,arrest-warrant-ben-ali.html.