Tunisians clash with police after journalist sets himself ablaze

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published December 26, 2018

TUNIS - A Tunisian journalist has died after setting himself on fire, officials said, in a protest over harsh living conditions that prompted overnight clashes with police in the country’s west.

Police fired tear gas at dozens of people who took to the streets Monday night in the city of Kasserine, 270 kilometers (165 miles) from the capital, setting tires ablaze and blocking the main street.

Six members of the security forces were injured, and nine protesters were detained, interior ministry spokesperson Sofiane al-Zaq said Tuesday.

By Tuesday morning, calm had returned to the city.

Abdel Razaq Zorgi, a 32-year-old journalist, died late Monday after setting himself on fire over unemployment and worsening economic conditions.

“For the sons of Kasserine who have no means of subsistence, today I start a revolution. I am going to set myself on fire,” Zorgi said in a video published before his death.

Both the ministry of interior and the National Union of Tunisian Journalists confirmed his death.

The journalists’ union said he died protesting “difficult social conditions...and a lack of hope“, and that it was considering organizing a general strike in the media sector.

It was the self-immolation of a street vendor in Tunisia in late 2010 in protest at police harassment that sparked Tunisia’s revolution and the Arab Spring uprisings across the rest of the region the next year.

Kasserine was one of the first cities to rise after the vendor’s death, in protests that saw police kill demonstrators.

The unrest quickly spread across the country and led to the overthrow of long-time dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Despite the country’s democratic transition after Ben Ali’s ouster and a recent return to economic growth, Tunisian authorities are still struggling to improve poor living conditions.

Inflation fuelled by the devaluation of the Tunisian dinar and persistent unemployment sparked protests across the country last January. - AFP

Journalist Farhan Mallick remanded to FIA custody in fresh case

 March 26, 2025:  Karachi journalist Farhan Mallick has been remanded to FIA custody for five days in a new fraud case. The FIA alleges his involvement in a call center scam defrauding foreign nationals.

Court hands journalist Waheed Murad to FIA on two-day physical remand

 March 26, 2025:  A district court in Islamabad granted the FIA a two-day physical remand of journalist Waheed Murad. He was arrested under the PECA Act for sharing a report by exiled journalist Ahmad Noorani on social media. His arrest involved armed men in black uniforms, according to his family.

Gandapur promises to honor journalism hero Arshad Sharif

 March 25, 2025:  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has promised to name a journalism department in an educational institution after slain journalist Arshad Sharif. This follows a suggestion by analyst Ather Kazmi during an interview.

Pakistan's crackdown on journalism: IFJ demands Farhan Mallick's immediate release

 March 25, 2025:  The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the arrest of Karachi journalist Farhan Mallick, founder of Raftar, demanding his immediate release. The PFUJ has also denounced the case, calling it an attack on press freedom in Pakistan.

'Who will be responsible if my sons are harmed?' mother pleads in court

 March 24, 2025:  Who will be responsible if my sons are harmed?" cries a mother in Islamabad High Court, pleading for justice after her sons' alleged abduction. The court summons the IG police over the alleged kidnapping. The family claims intelligence agencies are involved.

Puppet Press: How Pakistan's media sold its soul to the highest bidder

 March 24, 2025:  Explore the 10 critical reasons why Pakistan's legacy media continues to disappoint, from political bias and corporate influence to digital transition failures and unsustainable business models in Pakistani journalism.

State as judge: Dawn criticizes Farhan Mallick’s arrest under PECA

 March 22, 2025:  The arrest of journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick under PECA violations has sparked concerns over press freedom in Pakistan. Digital rights activists warn of increasing state suppression.

Outrage as Geo security guards attack workers protesting unpaid wages

 March 21, 2025:  Geo Group’s security guards allegedly led an assault on protesting journalists in Islamabad, dismantling their camp and threatening them. The hypocrisy of a media giant advocating press freedom while suppressing its workers is exposed.