Mohamed Bouazizi

Mohamed Bouazizi was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on 17 December, 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides.
He was born  on 29 March, 1984. His act of self-immolation became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution, inciting demonstrations and riots throughout Tunisia in protest of social and political issues in the country. The public's anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi's death, leading then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down on 14 January, 2011, after 23 years in power.

The success of the Tunisian protests sparked protests in several other Arab countries, in adition to several non Arab countries, asking for democratic aspirations for the oppressed peoples. 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 some Arab commentators as "heroic martyrs of a new Middle Eastern revolution."