Tunisia sentences ousted leader Ben Ali to life in prison

A Tunisian court has sentenced ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to life in prison over the killing and wounding of protesters during the 2011 uprising that toppled him.

A military court handed down the sentence on Tuesday to Ben Ali in absentia, state-run TAS reported, in the latest verdict against the ex-leader.

The ex-dictator was found guilty "in cases related to the Revolution martyrs and wounded", the agency said.

"The judgments handed down… further confirmed the thesis of manslaughter and suspicion of complicity in these crimes,"

It added that 40 other defendants were sentenced from two to eight years in prison, while others were acquitted.

Ben Ali fled Tunisia in January 2011, after weeks of deadly demonstrations that left 338 people dead.

The uprising was sparked by the self-immolation of a fruit seller protesting police harassment and unemployment.

He was the first leader to stand down in the Arab Spring, fleeing to Saudi Arabia after 23 years in power.

The ruling is the latest life sentence handed down to Ben Ali.

In 2013, a court sentenced him to life imprisonment for violent repression of protests.

He was also sentenced to other prison terms in 2011 and 2012 for other crimes, including "inciting citizens to attack each other".