Former dictator Ben Ali's wife claims: "I was a woman of the people"

In the interview, she said she merely helped “those close to me to live
better” but that they had all repaid their dues. “For example, I
helped one of my brothers obtain a loan, but he paid it all back before
dying,” she claimed.

“What people forget is that I helped a lot of people I didn’t know. God
is my witness that I never wanted to harm anyone,” she said.

Mrs Ben Ali, 55, who fled the country with her husband in January last year,
claimed that riots leading to her husband’s overthrow were part of an “orchestrated
coup d’état”.

“I don’t believe at all in the scenario of a spontaneous revolution born
from a youth protest,” she said.

She denied speculation that her husband was in poor health after reports of
prostate cancer. “He’s in excellent health and we are still a solid
couple even if it displeases our detractors,” she said.

She read out a written note from her husband which said: “I deplore that
people have forgotten that for 23 years the (Tunisian) state under my
leadership considerably improved the lives of everyone and made Tunisia a
modern country that many friendly states cite as an example.” “I
nevertheless admit that there was room for progress and freedoms to put in
place I only aspire, at the twilight of my existence, to keep my honour.”
When asked whether her husband had given orders to fire on protesters with
real bullets, Mrs Ben Ali said: “Never.”

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