Tunisia: Protests following death of footballer who set himself on fire for ‘police humiliation’

Dozens of Tunisians demonstrated in Kairouan province (central Tunisia) to express their outrage following the death of former footballer Nizar Issaoui, who set himself on fire in response to humiliation by police officers.

The city of Hafouz in Kairouan witnessed protests on Thursday and Friday, demanding authorities hold accountable those responsible for Issaoui’s death and denounce the recurring police misconduct.

Issaoui’s death sparked a state of unrest and tension in the city, during which protesters pelted police forces with stones, prompting officers to respond by firing tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd.

On Monday, the former player doused himself with petrol and set himself ablaze in front of a police station in response to the police fabricating a terrorism-related charge against him, despite visiting the station to file a complaint against a street vendor selling bananas at exorbitant prices.

Issaoui passed away Thursday evening in a hospital in the capital after suffering third-degree burns.

The former footballer had appeared in a video outside a police station accusing officers of humiliating him and fabricating terrorism charges against him.

His brother stated in a radio interview that he went to a police station in Kairouan city to file a report against a street vendor for violating price regulations before being humiliated, which led him to set himself on fire.

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