In 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, besieged by corrupt Tunisian officials who harassed and humiliated him as he tried to sell fruit from a street stand, set himself on fire in protest. His death shocked the conscience of not just Tunisia, but much of the broader Mideast, spurring the Arab Spring protest movements.
It is too soon to know to what degree the death of Mahsa Amini will impact Iran. After all, the Persian, Shiite nation is distinct from the Arab, mostly Sunni, Mideast. And Amini's death on Sept. 16 wasn't self-inflicted but came at the hands of the so-called "morality police" who had detained her for an alleged violation of Iran's strict law on wearing a head scarf.
But just as Tunisians reacted with rage, Iranians are responding. Protests have broken out in more than 80 cities, including one where demonstrators briefly took over. So far, at least 54 people have been killed, according to estimates from human rights groups.
