- Title: TUNISIA: Tunisia's former first lady Leila Trabesi tells her "truth" in memoir.
- Date: 15th July 2012
- Summary: CLOSE OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLE CLOSE OF ARTICLE ON ALI SERIATI IN MAGAZINE READING IN FRENCH: "WHAT WAS SERIATI CONSPIRING?"
- Embargoed: 30th July 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Tunisia, France
- City:
- Country: France Tunisia
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVABTERCHV3ZQRQ683YTW8Q5359R
- Story Text: Leila Trabelsi, the wife of Tunisia's ousted dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, has published a memoir of her life that has stirred controversy in the North African country where she was reviled by many as a latter-day Marie-Antoinette.
The memoir was published in French under the title "Ma Verite" -- or "My Truth" -- by the Paris-based publisher, Les Editions du Moment, and first appeared on amazon.fr, the French language arm of amazon.com, priced at 16.10 euros.
The book, which is available at some Tunisian bookshops, has caused a stir in the country, with people on micro-blogging site Twitter labelling it "a book to boycott," in reference to the many books that were banned during Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's 23-year stint as president.
Some bookshops have refused to shelf the memoir, which many say will benefit the former first lady both financially and in improving her public image.
Selma Jabess, owner of the al-Kitab chain of bookshops in Tunisia, said that she refused to openly display the book in her stores but provides copies for clients who order "My Truth".
"I'm going to respond in a rather controversial manner. We've chosen to sell and not to sell the book of Leila Ben Ali at the same time, i.e. we only provide it when people order it but "My Truth" is not visible. It isn't welcome in our libraries. We don't have the right to censor the book but we don't expose it either," Jabess said.
Some local and international observers have said that the book contains important information about the last days of the reign of the ousted president.
"There are different scenarios about the revolution. History will determine the reality and the fiction in 20 or 30 years but people need to know the reality about what happened in Tunisia," said Selma Jabess.
Tunisian student Mahdi Bouguerra said access to Trabelsi's memoir should not be blocked.
"Reading or ignoring the existence of the book of Leila Ben Ali is a personal choice. I just know that Leila Ben Ali can't serve the revolution with her book," said Mahdi.
University student Azza Jhini criticised Trabelsi for her account that her husband Ben Ali was tricked into leaving the country by his former security chief Ali al-Seriati.
"I don't know which coup d'etat Leila Ben Ali is talking about. She accuses General Ali Seriati. This is an insult to the people who died during the revolution. Shall we reward Seriati for his so-called coup d'etat against Ben Ali?" said Azza.
Ben Ali and Trabelsi fled Tunis for exile in Saudi Arabia as protests engulfed the capital on Jan. 14, 2011.
Ben Ali, at the beginning of his trial in absentia in Tunisian courts, claimed through a written statement that he was deceived by Ali al-Seriati, who was Ben Ali's feared presidential security chief, into leaving the country, and denied giving orders to security forces to shoot at protesters. Ben Ali wrote that Seriati had come to him in his office and told him "friendly" foreign intelligence services had passed on information about a plot to assassinate Ben Ali. He was persuaded to board a plane which was taking his wife and children to safety in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but with the intention of returning immediately, his statement said.
Rafik Chelly who was the director of security for the president and other political figures between 1972-1980 and 1984-1987, said the term coup d'etat, used by Trabelsi in her memoir, is misleading.
"Leila writes about the conditions in which she fled the country January 14, calling it a coup d'etat. One cannot speak of a coup d'etat."
The former official who had worked with both Ben Ali and Seriati added:
"Some arguments suggest that General Seriati has conspired against the former president. It's possible. There are hints confirming this, but there are other hints that lead to the opposite conclusion. Seriati used all means to scare Ben Ali into leaving the country. He talked about the helicopters hovering over the presidential palace ready to bombard it, about ships at sea ready to assail it, and about the airport control tower having been seized by armed gangs. Seriati did everything to scare the president," said Chelly.
Seriati was accused by many of providing the former leader's relatives with forged passports to help them escape and of orchestrating violence after Ben Ali's departure. He was acquitted by the courts in June 2012 of charges of killing protesters.
Samir Seriati, the son of Ali Seriati, condemned Trabelsi's book and defended his father.
"In her book, Leila Ben Ali claims that my father organised a coup d'etat. I think she's mad about the fact that General Seriati was the only person in Tunisia who could convince Ben Ali to leave the country and he did. The Ben Ali clan just wanted to rule even if the death of thousands would have been the price to pay but Ali Seriati prevented this from happening. This book was written with hatred."
Leila Trabelsi was a former hairdresser and her lavish lifestyle and clique of wealthy relatives were seen by many Tunisians as symbols of the corruption of the Ben Ali era.
Corruption, along with unemployment and a lack of freedom, were among the main complaints raised by protesters who ousted Ben Ali in 2011 in a popular revolution that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.
During Ben Ali's term in office, members of the Trabelsi family accumulated vast fortunes while his security forces routinely arrested anyone who dared dissent.
Ben Ali has denied the charges against him of illegally possessing drugs, cash, jewellery and weapons. He said the weapons were gifts from other heads of state and the jewellery had been given as gifts to Leila Trabelsi by foreign dignitaries.
Last month, a Tunisian court found Ben Ali and his wife guilty of theft and of illegally possessing jewellery and large sums of cash and sentenced them in absentia to 35 years in jail each.
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