Haykel Rachdi

Summary

Haykel Rashdi is a young man who lived in the Sebitla region of the Kasserine governorate. Haykl sustained a severe head injury from a tear gas canister used by the police during his participation in the protests in January 2021. Unfortunately, he passed away days a few days after being admitted to the hospital.

Personal Information

Name: Haykel Rashdi

Nationality: Tunisian

Occupation: Participant in the January 2021 protests

Incidents of Violation

In the first months of 2021, Tunisia witnessed a number of protest movements in various popular neighborhoods across different governorates. The victim, Haykel, participated in the nighttime protests with fellow residents from the Sebitla region in the Kasserine governorate. While police forces were dispersing tear has, Haykel suffered from a severe head injury that consequently led to his death after being admitted to the Sahloul Hospital in Sousse governorate. His family states that their son was attacked during the nighttime protests that took place in the Sourour neighborhood of Kasserine during that period. However, the Ministry of Interior denied any evidence of him being injured by a tear gas canister.

Human Rights Violations

The death of Haykel Rashdi is a flagrant violation of human rights, marking another episode in the series of the Tunisian police oppression of protests and social movements. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights insists that every individual has the right to life, freedom, and personal security. This incident emphasizes the violation of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. It is essential to highlight that the excessive use of force by police, leading to the death of the victim, contradicts the UN’s basic principles regarding the use of force. According to these principles, law enforcement should employ non-violent means to the greatest extent possible before resorting to the use of force.

Sources

To document this case, Intersection Association depended on Haykel Rashdi’s family members’ testimony to social media outlets and several newspaper articles.