TUNIS, Tunisia (AP): Tunisia's state news agency reports that the country's former dictator has been convicted in absentia of torturing army officers and sentenced by a military court to five years in prison. Zine Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia Jan. 14 in the face of a popular uprising and now faces over 100 charges in civilian and military tribunals. He has already been convicted three times by civilian courts. The current case involves army officers accused of plotting a coup in 1991, the state news agency said Wednesday. Several other former high ranking security officials were convicted in the case and sentenced to between three and four years in prison. Ben Ali has so far been sentenced to at least 60 years in prison.
