Tunisian footballer dies from burns sustained in protest against ‘police injustice’
Professional Tunisian football player Nizar Issaoui has died after setting himself on fire earlier this week as a protest against “police injustice”, amid Tunisia’s economic crisis.
Issaoui, 35, suffered third-degree burns from his action in the village of Haffouz in the central region of Kairouan, and was taken to the specialist burns hospital in Tunis, but doctors were unable to save his life, his brother said on Friday.
“He died yesterday (Thursday) and will be buried today,” his brother said.
Before his death, Issaoui published a video on Facebook in which he said the reason for his protest was being falsely accused of “terrorism” by police.
The video shows him screaming: “For a dispute with someone selling bananas at 10 dinars, I get accused of terrorism at the police station. Terrorism for a complaint about bananas… I have no more energy. Let the police state know that the sentence will be executed today.”
In a separate post, he said he sentenced himself to "death by fire".
Meanwhile, there were angry clashes at the funeral of the Tunisian footballer on Friday in his hometown of Haffouz, local media reported. There was no immediate comment from the authorities.
Issaoui was a free agent at the time of his death after a career that saw him play for a range of clubs from the lower divisions to the top flight.
According to a Tunisian media report, News of Issaoui’s death sparked protests on the streets of Haffouz on Thursday evening, which has gone violent, as protesters hurled stones at police who responded with tear gas.
Issaoui’s protest recalled that of street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, who burned himself to death on Dec. 17, 2010, sparking the Tunisian revolution that was the trigger for the Arab Spring uprisings.
Thousands of Tunisians had taken to the streets last year, to protest against President Kais Saied, accusing him of economic mismanagement amid fuel and food shortages in the North African nation.
The country is struggling to make ends meet as a crisis in state finances has contributed to shortages of subsidized goods, including petrol, sugar, and milk on top of years of economic malaise and entrenched unemployment.
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