Ben Ali sues Tunisian TV show over libel, impersonation

"The TV show mocked and offended my client's dignity," Munir bin Salha told The New Arab.

The court session to look into the case has been scheduled for Tuesday, he added.

The lawyer also denied reports that the content of the show was based on an agreement with the producers.

The talk show, Alo Jeddah, hosts politicians, analysts and activists and surprises them with a Skype call with Ben Ali impersonator and comedian Wassim al-Harissi.

It has quickly gained popularity, with high TV ratings and social media shares.

Some of the interviewees showed contradictions during the show, praising Ben Ali during the fake Skype call despite their pro-revolution stances, while loyalists asked him to return to Tunisia.

Ben Ali was ousted in a 2011 popular revolution that triggered a series of Arab Spring uprisings.

He was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia along with his wife and their three children.

In June 2011, a Tunisian court sentenced Ben Ali and his wife in absentia to 35 years in prison on charges of theft and unlawful possession of cash and jewellery.

The following year, he was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for inciting violence and murder.

In 2013, a military court handed him another life sentence for violent repression of protests in Sfax.