Iftar Timings Mar 19 - Ramazan 8

Lahore
LHR
06:14 PM
Karachi
KHI
06:43 PM
Islamabad
ISB
06:19 PM
Peshawar
PWR
06:23 PM
Quetta
QTA
06:43 PM

News

Tunisian man dies after setting himself ablaze

September 12, 2021 10:48 AM


A Tunisian man died in hospital Saturday after setting himself on fire, witnesses and medics said, days after another burned himself alive to protest living conditions.

Both acts recall the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, the street seller whose suicide by fire on December 17, 2010 launched Tunisia's revolution which in turn sparked the Arab Spring that toppled several autocratic leaders in the region.

On Saturday, a 35-year-old man "set himself on fire on Habib Bourguiba Avenue" in the centre of Tunis, the civil defence told AFP.

The man, whose motives are still unknown, "suffered third-degree burns and was rushed to hospital", a civil defence spokesman added.

Local media including state television later reported that he had died of his injuries.

A witness, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the man had arrived at the iconic avenue in central Tunis accompanied by a younger man and tried to attract the attention of some journalists who were present there.

The man then doused himself with flammable material which he set on fire with a lighter, the witness said.

Police set up barricades in the area, and an AFP reporter saw a pair of burned shoes behind them shortly after the incident.

Last week a young man wounded in the 2011 revolution burned himself alive after the government failed to provide compensation, his family said.

Neji Hefiane, 26, died in a hospital on the southern outskirts of Tunis on September 4 after having set himself alight in front of his family, his father said.

Hefiane suffered gunshot wounds to the head during anti-regime protests in the early days of the revolution, according to his family, and although he was on an official list of people entitled to government aid, he received no compensation.

"It was the injustice and marginalisation he suffered that pushed my son to kill himself," his father, Bechir Hefiane, said on Monday.

He said he wrote to President Kais Saied explaining his son's case and asking him to intervene on behalf of the struggling family that lives in a working-class Tunis district.

"We've got no reply, even after my son's death," he added.



Most Read

  1. Google invites Pakistan’s youngest vlogger Shiraz and sister Muskan to USA Google invites Pakistan’s youngest vlogger Shiraz and sister Muskan to USA
  2. Well-known builder Asif Razaq Deenar arrested at Karachi airport Well-known builder Asif Razaq Deenar arrested at Karachi airport
  3. Islamabad players celebrate victory with Palestine flag Islamabad players celebrate victory with Palestine flag
  4. Ahmed Baig delivers Pakistan's first International Golf Victory in more than 25 years Ahmed Baig delivers Pakistan's first International Golf Victory in more than 25 years
  5. Religious Brotherhood: Tharparkar’s Hindu facilitiates Muslim in Ramazan Religious Brotherhood: Tharparkar’s Hindu facilitiates Muslim in Ramazan
  6. Caught in the act: Corrupt cops fired as video goes viral Caught in the act: Corrupt cops fired as video goes viral

Opinion

  1. 1947 TO FORM 47
    1947 TO FORM 47

    By Dr Asif Channer

  2. Beijing wants to further highlight industrial sector in its country and take scientific innovation to new heights....
    Beijing wants to further highlight industrial sector in its country and take scientific innovation to new heights....

    By Ali Ramay

  3. Global race: China will reduce its unnecessary expenses
    Global race: China will reduce its unnecessary expenses

    By Ali Ramay

  4. Channer Pir: The Great Saint of Cholistan
    Channer Pir: The Great Saint of Cholistan

    By Dr Asif Channer

  5. Literate the Religious Illiterate
    Literate the Religious Illiterate

    By Dr Asif Channer

  6. From White Elephant to Success: BRI Project Witnesses Surge in Ridership
    From White Elephant to Success: BRI Project Witnesses Surge in Ridership

    By Ali Ramay