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Mohamed Bouazizi | |
|---|---|
محمد البوعزيزي | |
 | |
| Born | Tarek El-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi[1] 29 March 1984 Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia |
| Died | 4 January 2011 (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 their 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, 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]
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica: Mohamed Bouazizi Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
nytimes1was 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.