Zine el Abidine Ben Ali will be remembered as the first leader to be toppled in what became known as the Arab Spring . After nearly 24 years in power , he became the former president of Tunisia . Just over a year ago a young fruit seller in the city of Sidi Bouzid took the desperate step of setting himself on fire to protest the oppressive conditions inside his country . Despite a hospital visit by the then president , coupled with vows to cut prices of basic foods , end censorship and ensure police did not use live ammunition on protesters , Ben Ali failed to quell growing unrest . Mohamed Bouazizi succumbed to his injuries and his death triggered uprisings across Tunisia that spread through the Arab world , leading to regime change in Egypt and Libya . Nearly 250 people died during the Tunisian violence that led to Ben Ali 's ouster . The 75-year-old fled with his wife Leila to Saudi Arabia , and attempts to return him for trial have so far proved fruitless . Other family members were reported to be in Canada . Ben Ali is facing a military tribunal in absentia , along with dozens of former senior officials , for his alleged role in the killing of protesters in January 2011 . The former president and his wife already have been tried in absentia and sentenced to 35 years in prison for corruption . Although he has not appeared in court to defend himself , Ben Ali insists he is merely a `` scapegoat , '' unfairly portrayed and discredited by political opponents seeking to make a break with their country 's past . In a statement released by his lawyer last June he said he was a victim of `` injustice '' and that he had always worked for what he thought was `` the good of the Tunisian people , improving living standards and progressing on the path to modernity . '' But the Tunisian people chose a different path after more than two decades under single-party rule . The French and U.S.-educated Ben Ali trained as a soldier and later became head of the defense ministry 's intelligence section -- a connection that analysts believe helped him maintain a grip on power during his presidency . After serving as ambassador to Poland and ashort-lived appointment as prime minister , he became president in a 1987 bloodless coup , replacing Habib Bourguiba , who was declared medically unfit . Ben Ali was returned to office in five elections -- in 1989 , 1994 , 1999 , 2004 and 2009 -- often with claims of more than 90 % voter support . However , his years in power were marked by allegations of corruption and repression . Shortly after Ben Ali 's overthrow , Tunisian Ben Salah told CNN : `` You did n't want to be overheard saying something against Ben Ali . Fear left with Ben Ali , May he and that fear never come back . '' Dr Claire Spencer , who heads the Middle East and North Africa Program at London-based think-tank Chatham House , said the former president used his intelligence background to clamp down on the freedom of speech . `` It was more of a police state , '' she said . `` There was a great atmosphere of distrust . `` Liberalization of the economy started as a good idea but it deviated from benefiting the rest of the population . His inner circle was top slicing any company that was making a profit . '' Such corruption and high unemployment are two factors that are thought to have pushed Mohamed Bouazizi to self-immolation . Dr Spencer believes that in the end , Ben Ali became a victim of his own political blindness . `` He looked like someone who believed his own myth and to be out of touch with what was happening in Tunisia . ''
Ben Ali is facing a tribunal in absentia for his alleged role in the killing of protesters . In a statement released by his lawyer last June he said he was a victim of `` injustice '' Ben Ali trained as a soldier and became head of the defense ministry 's intelligence section . He also claimed that he had been tortured during interrogation, but did not specify what kind of torture or how many times it took place.