By Khulile Thwala
A professional footballer in Tunisia has died after setting himself alight earlier this week in what he termed as a protest against the “police state” ruling the country, his brother informed Tunisian media.
Nizar Issaoui, 35, sustained third-degree burns from his action in the village of Haffouz in the central region of Kairouan reported his family.
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He was taken from the hospital in Kairouan to the specialist burns hospital in the capital, Tunis, but doctors were unable to save him, reported The Guardian.
He died on Thursday and was buried the following day.
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Issaoui’s protest recalled that of Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor who burned himself to death on December 17, 2010, leading to the Tunisian revolution that in turn triggered the Arab Spring uprisings, which toppled authoritarian regimes across the Middle East.
News of Issaoui’s death prompted protests on the streets of Haffouz, in Tunis on Thursday evening, Tunisian media reported. Young demonstrators threw stones at police, who responded with teargas.
