Protesting street vendor in Saudi dies
Al Harissi’s family has refused to collect his body, awaiting an explanation from the authorities
Riyadh: A street vendor died in Saudi Arabia after setting himself on fire in protest at having his goods confiscated by police, human rights activists reported on Monday.
The vendor, Mousa Ahmad Al Harissi, “tried to end his life on Wednesday evening by pouring petrol over himself and setting himself alight”, the activists said on condition of anonymity.
He was protesting the seizure of the fruit and vegetables he was selling without a licence at the Manfuha market in southern Riyadh, witnesses said.
He was admitted to the King Saud medical complex in the capital but died a day later.
Al Harissi’s family has refused to collect his body while they wait for an explanation from the authorities, several sources said.
It is unclear if the man was a Saudi, or of Yemeni origin.
Al Harissi’s death is reminiscent of that of Mohammad Bu Azizi, the Tunisian vegetable seller who set himself on fire in Tunisia in December 2010.
His death sparked demonstrations in Tunisia that toppled in January 2011 former president Zain Al Abidine Bin Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia.
Appeals made on Saudi social media websites for mass protests in the oil-rich kingdom at the outset of the Arab Spring made little impact.
