The last year has swept a staggering number of long-term strongmen out of office. From Kim Jong-il's sudden death to the ousters of the Arab Spring, see photos of downed leaders.
After 17 years in power, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il met his end while riding a train on Saturday, Dec. 17—an apparent heart attack. The announcement came the following Monday morning on Korean state television from a woman wearing black, and people began crying in the streets of Pyongyang as they learned the news. Kim’s funeral is planned for Dec. 28 to coincide with a 12-day period of national mourning. His body will be placed in the same mausoleum where his father Kim Il-sung’s corpse is on public display, according to The New York Times. The Guardian’s obituary covers the basics of Kim’s life, though you may also want to check out excerpts of the official North Korean obit, such as “He turned the DPRK into an invincible political and ideological power in which single-minded unity has been achieved.”
The words Tahrir Square became synonymous with protests in 2011, when millions of Egyptians, inspired by Tunisia’s success, rose up against longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, who had been consolidating power since 1981, in Cairo's main plaza. Mubarak held on for almost three weeks of demonstrations, offering small concessions to no avail, until finally he had his vice president announce that he would transfer reins to an interim military council. Later in 2011, Mubarak was put on trial in Egypt, humiliatingly put up in a cage during court proceedings. The trial is ongoing.
Muammar Gaddafi began 2011 as the world's longest-reigning tyrant in the Arab world. Before the year was out, he was calling his people “rats” for rising up against him. He finally met his end hiding in a drainage pipe and captured by rebels. Protests against Gaddafi began in force in February, spurred on by the Arab Spring, but it wasn't until Oct. 20 that Libya was finally rid of him. Gaddafi was buried in an unmarked desert grave after his body had been on display in a supermarket freezer.
Gbagbo didn't go easy. The Ivory Coast leader, who had ruled since 2000, was voted out of office in 2011, beaten at the polls by opposition leader Alassane Ouattara. But Gbagbo stomped his foot, challenging the result, calling the election unfair, and refusing to leave. A violent civil conflict flared, with Ouattara’s supporters fighting for their elected leader against a brutal crackdown by Gbagbo. Eventually, the president was arrested by the Ivory Coast Army and taken to The Hague, where he became the first head of state to be taken into custody there.
Yemen's longtime president will bear the marks of protests for years to come: Saleh was badly burned in an assassination attempt in June 2011 in which four of his guards died and the president himself was burned on 40 percent of his body. Though he took off to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, requiring lung surgery, Saleh still clung to power until November, when he signed a power-transfer deal. He had ruled over Yemen since 1978, the country’s longest-serving president.
Muhammed Muheisen / AP Photo
By many accounts, the Arab spring all started with a fruit vendor in Tunisia. Mohamed Bouazizi, the vendor, set himself on fire in public, protesting alleged harassment by state officials. Within a month of the daring protest, Ben Ali was ousted, ending his 23-year rule. Ben Ali and his wife fled to Saudi Arabia, and their downfall encouraged men and women across the Arab world to stand up for themselves. In June, Ben Ali was convicted in absentia on counts of money laundering and drug trafficking.
