Arab World despotism nearing collapse

Egyptian protesters, January 25

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/162197.html

The dictatorial regimes across the Arab world are getting close to collapse, as the Tunisian revolution has proven that security apparatus in those countries can suddenly fail, an analyst says.

In “Tunisia, the torture, the oppression, the persecution was beyond imagination and it all collapsed suddenly,” author and political analyst Azzam Tamimi said in an interview with Press TV.

“It can collapse in Egypt, in Jordan, Yemen, Algeria in Libya, in Saudi Arabia,” Tamimi further explained.

“For the past two or three few weeks, especially for the past week, Tunisia has been the talk of the streets across the Arab world and probably also African nations where similar models of despotism persists,” he added.

The analyst specially pointed out at the incipient revolts in Saudi Arabia.

“There is a lot going on in Saudi Arabia by the way and people are now calling for rallies to trigger some sort of popular movement,” Tamimi went on to say.

Former Tunisian President Zein El Abidine Ben Ali's 23 years of dictatorship, which was marred by repeated human rights violations and torture, ended earlier this month after weeks of street protests.

In the latest development, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a global arrest warrant for Ben Ali and several of his family members.

Tunis bureau of Interpol put the warrant into effect on Wednesday and urged the member states to search for, locate and detain Ben Ali and six of his family members.

The alert follows an arrest warrant by the country's interim government for the overthrown ruler.

Tunisian Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi said that Ben Ali and his relatives are wanted on charges of illegally taking money out of the country and acquiring real estate and other assets abroad.

Ben Ali's wife, Leila, who is on the list too, is said by the French media to have abandoned the country with millions of dollars worth of gold.

The accused are believed to have assets of various types in France, where prosecutors have launched a probe into the family's property.

While Tunisia has become a model for pursuing democracy, political analysts have warned that the Tunisian political factions have to observe the rules of a democratic system to avoid a post-revolution dictatorship.

"The last thing that the Tunisian people need to do is to create a new king," political analyst Mohammad Oweis said in an interview with Press TV.

Oweis warned Tunisian opposition groups against the adoption of autocratic approaches in the existing power equations in the North African state.