Tunisian man's death triggers rage, protests

Tunisian authorities launched a probe into the death of the man whose fate sparked riots in the central town of Sbeitla on Tuesday.

Witnesses say the 49-year-old was killed when authorities flattened his son's cigarette kiosk. The man is believed to have been sleeping inside the improvised shop when it was destroyed early on Tuesday.

The victim's son, 25-year-old Oussama Khachnaoui, said the local authorities did not inform him of the decision to bulldoze the structure.

He said that officials also did not check if anyone was inside.

"My father ... died on the spot," Khachnaoui told the AFP news agency. "Security agents fired tear gas at my family who had tried to approach my kiosk to save my father."

The news prompted an outpouring of rage in the impoverished interior city, where many are forced to sell various goods to make ends meet.  Many Sbeitla residents have long complained about the police's heavy-handed approach when dealing with poor people.

PM sacks police chief

Following reports of the man's death, groups of protesters pelted police with stones and other objects, while also setting up road blocks and burning tires. The authorities deployed soldiers and additional security forces to secure government buildings in the town.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi publicly supported the Khachnaoui family and said a district security chief and the local police chief were sacked over the incident. He said the interior minister was to "immediately" provide the victim's family with "moral and material" support.

The latest death drew comparisons with the self-immolation of a street vendor in 2011. The event triggered nationwide protests which eventually ousted long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and snowballed into what is now known as the Arab Spring — a series of uprising, revolts and rebellions against dictators in the Arab world.

dj/dr (Reuters, AFP)