Tunisia's Ousted President Convicted In Absentia

from National Public Radio

Tunisia — where one man's protest sparked a wave of popular uprisings that spread through the Middle East — experienced another watershed moment this week. It was the first of the so-called Arab Spring countries to put its ousted leader on trial. After only one day of consideration, a Tunisian judge handed down a sentence of 35 years a piece to Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife. Robert Siegel talks with Philippe Sauvagnargues, a Tunis-based reporter for the French news agency Agence France-Presse. Sauvagnargues discusses the brief trial — and how it's being received in Tunisia.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, June 21, 2011