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In pictures: Time of change

Ben Ali’s exit brings down the curtain on a 23-year authoritarian era in north African country’s recent history.

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Police officers, national guard members and firemen demonstrated in Tunis on Saturday in a bid to distance themselves from the toppled Ben Ali government [Reuters]
Published On 22 Jan 2011
Tunisia protests
One week after the overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, protests continue in the Tunisian capital against the presence of his close allies in the interim government [Yasmine Ryan/ Al Jazeera]
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Tunisia protests
Friday was the first of three days of mourning for the nearly 100 Tunisians who died in the uprising against Ben Ali(***)s rule [Yasmine Ryan/ Al Jazeera]
Tunisia protests
The interim government has struggled to restore a semblance of order in a country that has just undergone a political upheaval after 23 years of one-man rule [Yasmine Ryan/ Al Jazeera]
Tunisia
The scene was very different as recently as on last Sunday, when security forces manned roadblocks throughout Tunis in a bid to restore calm while armed groups roamed the city [Reuters]
Saudi palace, Jeddah
Security guards were also evident on Sunday at the entrance to the palace in the Saudi city of Jeddah where Ben Ali and his family were staying [Reuters]
ben ali - tunisia
Ben Ali came to power in a bloodless coup in 1987. Initially, he was praised by many Tunisians for enacting liberal economic legislation [AFP]
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protesters 1 - tunisia
But after enduring more than two decades of of his rule, Tunisians became fed up with the stagnant social order and the president(***)s tight grip on power [AFP]
protesters 2- tunisia
Since mid-December, the country had been gripped by protests over unemployment, high food prices and government repression, long-standing issues that festered in the background [AFP]
security guard shooting - tunisia
The Tunisian government ordered security forces to disperse the protesters by firing tear-gas shells and bullets [AFP]
protesters other side - tunisia
But the demonstrators would not budge. Instead, they demanded that their president step down from power [AFP]
graves - tunisia
Nationwide protests leading up to Ben Ali(***)s toppling led to the deaths of about 100 people, according to UN estimates, mostly in clashes with police [AFP]
game over - tunisia
Within 29 days, Tunisians were able to force their president out of the country from a position he held on to for nearly 23 years [AFP]
ben ali plane - tunisia
After being refused asylum by France, Ben Ali found refuge in Saudi Arabia on January 14, where he was later united with the rest of his family [AFP]