(RTTNews) - Tunisia has formally requested Saudi Arabia for the extradition of ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali for standing trial over his alleged involvement in the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the recent uprising against his rule, the state news agency TAP reported Sunday.
In a statement released Sunday, Tunisia's foreign ministry accused the former leader of involvement in "serious crimes" aimed at "sowing discord between the citizens of the same country by pushing them to kill one another."
In addition to the extradition of Ben Ali, the Tunisian government also requested the Saudi administration for information regarding the health of the ousted leader in wake of unconfirmed reports that he is currently "gravely ill" in the oil-rich Gulf Kingdom after suffering a stroke.
According to unconfirmed media reports that surfaced late last week, the 74-year-old former Tunisian leader was rushed to a hospital reserved for Saudi princes in the city of Jeddah after suffering from a stroke last Tuesday.
The media reports alleged that Ben Ali was "in a coma" at the Saudi hospital, adding that he was admitted to the hospital under a false identity. However, the Saudi government is yet to confirm their claims.
Ben Ali was forced to flee Tunisia to Saudi Arabia on January 14, following a political unrest which ended his reign as Tunisian President. The unrest was triggered by soaring food prices, high unemployment, political oppression and anger at official corruption.
Ben Ali had been in power in the tiny Muslim nation since 1987 and was a close ally of the West in combating al-Qaeda militants operating in the region. But his government had often attracted criticism for its poor human rights record and iron-fisted rule.
Since Ben Ali's ouster, an international warrant has been issued for his arrest and his Swiss bank account frozen. Also, the European Union has since frozen the assets of the former Tunisian leader and his wife.
Though the successful Tunisian upraising has inspired such mass protests in other Arab countries like Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya, the overall situation in the north African nation remains tense even after Ben Ali's ouster.
The caretaker government that succeeded the Ben Ali regime in Tunisia has been struggling to bring stability to the country. Most of police force in Tunisia has quit after the uprising, leaving the country on the brink of lawlessness. Also, the economic situation in the country remains in crisis despite the successful uprising.
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