By Emir Nader
BBC News Arabic
The BBC has bought unparalleled recordings which we imagine to be of cellular phone calls made by a feeble Heart East dictator, Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, as he flew in a foreign country in 2011. These closing moments present how his authority crumbled, sealing the fate of his 23-year dictatorship and sparking the plight’s wave of mighty-democracy ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings.
The recordings comprise been forensically analysed by audio experts who stumbled on no evidence of tampering or manipulation. Ben Ali died in exile in 2019, however the BBC has also played these recordings to folk who know the individuals concerned, and they imagine the voices to be counseled, additional supporting the authenticity of the recordings. Nonetheless one of the most folk concerned strongly dispute their veracity.
If counseled, the recordings give an improbable perception into the trade in Ben Ali’s mood within the closing 48 hours of his regime, as he slowly begins to protect end the pretty impact of protests rocking his feared police explain.
The recordings – extracts of which are incorporated below – start up on the night of 13 January 2011. The first is a name to a end confidant, believed to be Tarak Ben Ammar, a successful media mogul who’s identified for encouraging director George Lucas to movie the first Important person Wars movie in Tunisia. Earlier that day Ben Ali had made a televised speech to the nation, in an strive and quash the momentum of mass demonstrations.
Frequent discontent at financial hardship and a protracted time of autocratic rule and corruption had erupted weeks earlier after a young road provider, Mohamed Bouazizi, establish fire to himself when officers stopped him selling manufacture within the metropolis of Sidi Bouzid. By 13 January about 100 folk had died within the protests, which comprise been now overwhelming the streets of the capital.
But Ben Ali sounds reassured when Ben Ammar appears to be like to lavish him with reward.
“You were improbable, here’s the Ben Ali that we comprise been looking ahead to!” says Ben Ammar within the recording.
Ben Ali is self-deprecating, announcing his speech lacked fluency, however his confidant reassures him.
“By no skill… It is far a historic comeback. You are a man of the folk. You mutter their language,” his buddy says.
Ben Ali laughs with what sounds love reduction. But the speech made to the Tunisian public clearly shouldn’t be ample. The following day, protests intensify and threaten to overrun the Ministry of Inner. Arrangements are made for Ben Ali’s household to win on a flight in a foreign country for his or her possess safety – headed to Saudi Arabia – and Ben Ali is then persuaded to escort them, he says.
The impart and the timing of the next recordings plight Ben Ali on this flight.
He’s liable to be heard making a group of increasingly frantic calls to a couple folk – believed to be his defence minister, the chief of the navy, and a end confidant – Kamel Eltaief.
He begins by asking any individual we understand to be Minister of Defence Ridha Grira about the anxiety on the ground back in Tunisia. Grira breaks it to him that an meantime president is now in plight. Ben Ali asks Grira to repeat this info three cases, before responding that he will be back within the country “in a couple of hours”.
He then calls a man the BBC believes to be end confidant Kamel Eltaief. Ben Ali tells Eltaief that the defence minister has reassured him events are below protect an eye on.
Eltaief bluntly corrects this assumption.
“No, no, no. The anxiety is changing rapid and the navy shouldn’t be ample,” his buddy tells him.
Ben Ali interrupts him to demand: “Elevate out you convey me to win back now or not?” He has to repeat the check three extra cases before Eltaief well responds.
“Issues usually are not correct,” Eltaief lastly replies.
Ben Ali then makes a name to who we imagine to be the chief of the navy, Frequent Rachid Ammar. Ammar would not seem to recognise the declare on the prime of the line. “I’m the president,” Ben Ali has to convey him.
Ammar reassures him that “the entire lot is gorgeous”. Again, Ben Ali poses the same check he asked Eltaief – ought to quiet he return to Tunisia now? Rachid tells him it will seemingly be better for him to “wait a whereas”.
“After we admire that that you can well perhaps win back, we’ll let , Mr President,” Ammar tells Ben Ali.
He calls his defence minister as soon as extra, all all over again asking if he ought to quiet return house, and this time Grira is extra forthright, telling Ben Ali that he “can’t guarantee his safety” if he does so.
Moral after midnight, President Ben Ali’s plane lands in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He orders the pilot to prepare for his return bolt, and he and his household are escorted to the King Faisal Palace Guest Residence.
But the pilot disobeys the enlighten. He abandons Ben Ali and flies back to Tunisia.
Waking in Saudi Arabia the next morning, Ben Ali rings his defence minister all all over again. Grira admits the administration shouldn’t be in protect an eye on of what’s going down on the streets. He tells Ben Ali that there is even discuss of a coup. Ben Ali dismisses this as the chase of “Islamists”, before as soon as extra speaking about returning house.
Grira now appears to be like to strive and level along with his boss.
“There might perhaps be exasperate on the streets in a system that I’m in a position to’t describe,” Grira says. He appears to be like engaging to make certain with the president, including: “In convey that you can’t convey that I misled you, and the option is yours.”
Ben Ali tries to defend his recognition. “What comprise I performed to the road? I served it.”
“I’m giving you the anxiety, not a proof” Grira replies.
Image source, Getty Pictures
Maya Jeridi, leader of the opposition birthday party takes phase in a sigh, Tunis, 14 January 2011
- On 17 December 2010 a young Tunisian road provider establish himself on fire after he used to be forbidden from selling manufacture
- His act, and subsequent loss of life, sparked mass demonstrations – extra than 100 folk died within the violence
- President Ben Ali made a speech to the nation on 13 January at some level of which he pledged to protect end chase on food costs
- That night Ben Ali boarded a plane along with his household to Saudi Arabia
Within hours a fresh authorities is formed in Tunisia – one at some level of which plenty of the same ministers, including Grira, maintained their positions. Ben Ali used to be never to come to his fatherland, final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, until his loss of life in 2019.
Defence Minister Ridha Grira and Navy Chief Rachid Ammar declined to touch upon the recordings when contacted by the BBC. Ben Ali’s confidants, Kamel Eltaief and Tarak Ben Ammar, denied that the calls with them had taken plight, with Ben Ammar including that he had not tried to reassure the president about his rule.
The BBC has spent extra than a year conducting examine into the authenticity of the recordings. They’ve been analysed by a different of leading audio-forensic experts within the UK and the US who hunted for signs of tampering or editing, or ‘deep faux’ processing which artificially replicates voices. No suggestion of any roughly manipulation will be stumbled on.
The BBC also sought to substantiate the identity of these on the calls by enjoying the linked extracts to individuals who know a minimal of notion to be one of many audio system that seem like heard. These consulted incorporated three of Ben Ali’s prime safety officers, leaders of his political birthday party, and even a declare-imitator of the president.
All of these approached might perhaps well establish the audio system and didn’t carry concerns about authenticity. Other evidence also corroborates the background of these calls, including previous statements by Minister of Defence Grira and Navy Chief Ammar that they had spoken to the president whereas he used to be on the plane, with Ammar’s recollection intently matching the impart of his name.
The recordings suggest how an autocrat who oversaw a repressive and feared surveillance explain for 23 years had been diminished to confusion and used to be on the mercy of his ministers’ instructions in his closing moments in energy. In 2011, at some level of his exile in Saudi Arabia, Ben Ali got a life sentence in absentia over the loss of life of protesters at some level of the revolution.
