Mohamed Bouazizi
Tunisian street vendor who self-immolated in 2010, beginning the Tunisian Revolution / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tarek El-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi (Arabic: طارق الطيب محمد البوعزيزي, romanized: Ṭāriq aṭ-Ṭayib Muḥammad al-Būʿazīzī; 29 March 1984 – 4 January 2011) was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on 17 December 2010 in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, an act which became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring against autocratic regimes. His self-immolation was in response to the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation inflicted on him by a municipal official and their aides.
Mohamed Bouazizi | |
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محمد البوعزيزي | |
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Born | Tarek El-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi[1] (1984-03-29)29 March 1984 Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia |
Died | 4 January 2011(2011-01-04) (aged 26) Ben Arous, Tunisia |
Cause of death | Suicide by self-immolation |
Resting place | Garaat |
Occupation | Street vendor |
Known for | Inciting the Arab Spring through self-immolation |
Simmering public anger and sporadic violence intensified following Bouazizi's death, leading the then-president of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power.[2] The success of the Tunisian protests inspired protests in several other Arab countries, plus several non-Arab countries, such as in China. The protests included several men who emulated Bouazizi's act of self-immolation, in an attempt to bring an end to their own autocratic governments. Those men and Bouazizi were hailed by New York Times commentators as "heroic martyrs of a new North African and Middle Eastern revolution".[3]
In 2011, Bouazizi was posthumously awarded the Sakharov Prize jointly along with four others for his and their contributions to "historic changes in the Arab world".[4] The Tunisian government honored him with a postage stamp.[5] The Times of the United Kingdom named Bouazizi as "Person of 2011", The Jerusalem Post's Amotz Asa-El named him "Person of the Jewish Year 5771" and "The Protester" was named Time 2011 Person of the Year.[6][7]
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