The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) on Saturday condemned Saudi Arabia's decision to grantasylum to Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's overthrown president, in a statement entitled "Tunisia's deposed dictator receives hospitality from Saudi Arabia's dictator".
The announcement said that Ben Ali should be tried in front of a Tunisian court for the crimes he committed against the Tunisian people during his 23 years in office.
The statement called Ben Ali the 'Arab Pinochet', in reference to Chili's ex-president and added that Saudi Arabia's decision to take in Ben Ali after he was refused entry to many countries including France -- an outspoken supporter of the 74-year-old leader – indicated to what lengths Arab dictators would go to support each other.
The ANHRI warned that Saudi Arabia is becoming a "refuge for dictators" since it had, in the past, received Uganda's Idi Amin and Pakistan's Nawaz Sharif.
The rights group called on civil society organisations to pressure the Saudi government to arrest Ben Ali and surrender him to the Tunisian people to be tried together with the rest of his government.
Short link: