Tunisian soccer player Nizar Issawi died in hospital, on Thursday night, days after he set himself on fire, his brother Yassine announced on Facebook.
Issawi, who passed away at the age of 35, set himself on fire in front of a police station in the city of Hafouz, in the Kairouan governorate, north of the capital, in protest against his “accusation of terrorism.”
Nizar Issawi played for many Tunisian teams, most notably Al-Ittihad Monastir, Qafala Gafsa, Jrida Tozeur, and Amal Hafouz.
What happened?
• The incident that occurred on Monday was due to a dispute between Issawi and a vegetable seller over the price of bananas.
• The player said in a video on Facebook that he wanted to draw the police’s attention because the seller was violating the law and selling bananas for 10 dinars per kilogram.
• Al-Issawi continued: “My punishment was that he accused me of terrorism, and implicated me in a case in which I had no involvement.” Then he set himself on fire despite the attempts of those around him to dissuade him from that.
• Al-Issawi was transferred to the University Hospital in Kairouan and then to the severe burns center in Ben Arous, until he died.
