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The Tunisian Revolution

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  • #16
    Canada in bid to expel Tunisian Belhassen Trabelsi

    The Canadian government is working to arrest and expel Belhassen Trabelsi, the brother-in-law of former Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

    Canada has revoked Mr Trabelsi's residency permit and has moved to seize the billionaire's Canadian assets.

    Mr Trabelsi and his family reportedly arrived in Montreal on a private jet last week after Mr Ben Ali was ousted.

    Officials at the Tunisian embassy in Ottawa have asked Canada to arrest and extradite Mr Trabelsi.

    Speaking to Canadian media in Val D'Or, in the province of Quebec, Mr Cannon said the government would make "every effort" to track down Mr Trabelsi's assets.

    "He is not welcome," Mr Cannon said. "We are going to find - in the context, obviously, of current legislation - ways to assure, as quickly as possible, that we might comply with the demand from the Tunisia government."
    'On the run'

    It is believed Mr Trabelsi and his family fled the Chateau Vaudreuil Suites Hotel in Montreal on Thursday, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

    It is unclear how long Mr Trabelsi had residency status, which allows non-Canadian citizens to live in the country and can require a lengthy application process.

    Mr Ben Ali, who was president for 23 years, was forced from power this month by a series of protests against poverty and corruption. The former president fled with his wife to Saudi Arabia.

    Interpol also issued an alert for the arrest of Mr Ben Ali and six family members on request from Tunisia, which has accused them of property theft and illegal transfer of foreign currency, among other charges.

    The international police agency said member states had been asked to "search, locate and provisionally arrest Mr Ali and his relatives".

    During a recent trip to Morocco, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said members of Tunisia's former regime were not welcome in Canada.
    Source: BBC News
    BBC News - Canada in bid to expel Tunisian Belhassen Trabelsi
    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

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    • #17
      The leader of Tunisia's main Islamist movement has returned home after 22 years in exile following the ousting of President Ben Ali earlier this month.

      More than 1,000 people were at the main airport in Tunis to welcome Rachid Ghannounchi as he arrived from London.

      Mr Ghannouchi, 69, says his Ennahda party intends to work for the popular uprising that toppled Mr Ben Ali.

      Observers say his return is the most potent symbol yet of the change that has swept the country since then.

      His return follows the interim government's announcement that media curbs would be lifted, banned political parties allowed to register and political prisoners amnestied.
      full article - BBC News - Tunisian Islamist leader Rachid Ghannouchi returns home

      positive signs that free elections will occur in Tunisia I hope

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      • #18
        Originally posted by Kevin Brown View Post
        I'm surprised after looking some around here on WAB there seems to be little discussion about the overthrow of the long-time President of Tunisia, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Who was forced to resign from his office and go into exile after economic problems in the country like unemployment and the general economic atmosphere. Came to a head ,when an unemployed university graduate who was harassed by police for an unlicensed fruit cart he was running, set himself on fire to protest his plight.

        The act which eventually caused said university graduate's death stirred up much more attention about lingering economic problems and their social effects, particular amongst younger Tunisians led them to take their anger out on the government, especially their President who was viewed by many as corrupt and ineffective.
        Yes, WikiLeaks Led to the Revolt in Tunisia
        "I think the Tunisia one was at least fueled by [the release of Wikileaks documents.] The accepted version of how things happened in Tunisia was that a fruit seller who was mistreated by the government set himself on fire and this began an uprising by the impoverished fruitsellers in the marketplace and so on. We've tracked down the family of the guy who immolated himself. That all seems to be true, but it also seems to be true that the circulation of the Wikileaks documents that talked about how the Ben-Ali regime lived high off the hog ... clearly did circulate widely and if it didn't start what happened in Tunisia, it certainly fueled it." --- Bill Keller, Editor NY Times

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