Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Ben Ali also played a lead role in the UN's proclaiming 2010 as the International Year of Youth. Ben Ali's government largely bucked the trend toward greater democracy in Africa. It was deemed authoritarian and undemocratic by independent international human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Freedom House, and Protection International. They criticised Tunisian officials for not observing international standards of political rights and interfering with the work of local human rights organisations. In "The Economist"s 2010 Democracy Index, Tunisia was classified as an authoritarian regime, ranking 144th out of 167 countries studied. In 2008, in terms of freedom of
Mohammed El Alaoui Mohammed El Alaoui "Sharif" Sidi Mohammed Alaoui (, born 7 July 1974 in Tangiers) is an Alaouite sharif and the current Chamberlain () of king Mohammed VI. He is reportedly a very close friend of the monarch, in addition to being his distant Alaouite cousin. Sharif Sidi Mohammed Alaoui is the son of "Sharif Moulay Zine El Abidine Alaoui" (Alaouite sharif and diplomat) and "Sharifa Lalla Oum Keltoum Alaoui". His mother Lalla Oum Keltoum is the daughter of "Prince Moulay El Hassan ben El Mehdi, the son of Sultan Mohammed IV (r. 1859-1873) and "Princess Lalla Fatima Zohra Azizia", the