Tunisian street vendor who self-immolated in 2010, beginning the Tunisian Revolution
Mohamed Bouazizi
محمد البوعزيزي
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
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 her aides.
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[which?]. 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]
Mohamed Bouazizi's grave (front right)
^Encyclopædia Britannica: Mohamed Bouazizi Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^Cite error: The named reference nytimes1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Worth, Robert F. (21 January 2011). "How a Single Match Can Ignite a Revolution". New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
^"Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2011". European Parliament. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
^Kent, David A. (May 2011). "New Issue of the Week: Revolution in Tunisia". Mekeel's & Stamps Magazine. 207 (10): 19.
^"Times names Bouazizi person of 2011". uk.reuters.com. 28 December 2011. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
^"Britain's Times names Tunisian fruitseller 'Person of 2011'". abs-cbnnews.com. 28 December 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
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