Tunisia footballer Nizar Issaoui dies after setting himself on fire protesting 'police state'

A Tunisian professional footballer has died after setting himself alight earlier this week in what he said was a protest against the "police state" ruling the country, reported AFP.

Nizar Issaoui, 35 years old, suffered third-degree burns from his act, which occurred in the village of Haffouz in the central region of Kairouan, northern Tunisia.

He was taken from the hospital in Kairouan to the specialist burns hospital in the capital of Tunis but doctors were unable to save his life, according to his family.

Nizar died Thursday, and his body is set to be buried today in his hometown.

As Nizar's death went viral, people in his hometown protested late on Thursday with videos showing young demonstrators hurling stones at police who responded with tear gas.

Thursday's protests recalled that of street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, who burned himself to death on December 17, 2010. Bouazizi's death sparked the Tunisian revolution that prompted a series of uprisings in the region and reshaped the political scene in North Africa and the Middle East.

Clashes, unrest, and heavy use of tear gas in Haffouz, Kairouane, where protests erupted after the death of Footballer Nizar Issaoui.
Issaoui set himself ablaze after what he deemed "fake terrorism charges" following a dispute with a merchant.#Tunisia#Protests
📸 Social Media pic.twitter.com/aGyhGwYMp8

— Souhail Khmira (@SKhmira) April 14, 2023

Tunisian authorities have yet to comment on Issaoui's death.

According to local media, Issaoui decided to make his extreme protest against the police after officers accused him of "terrorism" when he complained that he was unable to buy bananas for less than 10 dinars (US$3.3) a kilogramme, double the price set by the government.

A video selfie circulating on social media shows Issaoui 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."

In a Facebook post shortly before his self-immolation, Issaoui said he had sentenced himself to "death by fire".

"I have no more energy. Let the police state know that the sentence will be executed today," he wrote.

Issaoui was a free agent after a career that saw him play for various clubs from the lower to the top divisions.

In Tunisia, inflation has reached unprecedented levels making affording goods challenging even for middle-class communities that once lived comfortably. 

In January, Tunisia's central bank governor warned that inflation could spiral out of control as the cash-strapped country continues its endeavour to secure an aid package from the IMF in exchange for unpopular reforms such as reducing food and energy subsidies. 

But Tunisia's President Kais Saied's refusal of "IMF's diktats" continues to stall the US$1.9 billion bailout package.

The rising authoritarian drive of President Kais Saied has further complicated the situation. Arrests against opponents and critics have escalated since his power grab in July 2021 evoking a deja-vu of the ousted regime of Ben Ali.