Rahma Dziri
Student
Summary:
Rahma Dziri, a 20-year-old student at ISET Sfax and resident of the Sidi Mansour university dorm, died on the night of Wednesday 21 October 2026, after losing consciousness during an event held in one of the dorm's halls. According to testimonies from female students residing at the dormitory, the ambulance took between one hour and an hour and a half to arrive, amid the absence of permanent medical staff and a functioning medical unit within the dormitory and the testimonies indicate that Rahma died before the ambulance arrived. In addition,around 20 other female students also experienced fainting, shock, or suffocation that same night.
The Southern University Services Office announced that it had opened an investigation into the incident.
Personal Information
Name: Rahma Dziri
Age: 20
Status: Student at the Higher Institute of Technological Studies in Sfax (ISET).
Nationality: Tunisian
Region: Menzel Chaker Delegation, Sfax Governorate.
Details of the Violation
On the evening of Wednesday, 21 October 2026, an event began at around 8:00 p.m. in a small and narrow hall at the Sidi Mansour university dormitory. During the event, Rahma Duziri felt dizzy before losing consciousness at around 10:30 p.m.
According to testimonies given by female students residing at the dormitory to the Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms, Rahma, while unconscious, was carried to the dormitory courtyard with the help of several students and staff members. Following this, the dormitory administration contacted emergency services, while a volunteer student attempted to provide her with first aid but was unable to save her.
The same testimonies indicate that the ambulance, dispatched from Habib Bourguiba Hospital in Sfax, located approximately 10 kilometres from the dormitory, took around an hour and a half to arrive. According to these accounts, Rahma had died approximately half an hour before the ambulance arrived. Upon arrival, emergency responders took only a few minutes to confirm her death, after which her body was transported in the ambulance.
The testimonies further indicate that around 20 female students experienced fainting, shock, or suffocation that same night, without receiving a prompt medical response.
The testimonies also pointed out that a similar medical emergency had previously occurred at the dormitory, during which no ambulance arrived. The students were therefore forced to hire a taxi at their own expense to transport their fellow student to the hospital.
Following Rahma's death, the dormitory administration attributed the cause of death to a”heart attack". In an official statement, the Director-General of the Southern University Services Office acknowledged that university service institutions did not have permanent medical staff and that the nursing units established at some facilities remained non-operational due to the absence of nurses. The Office also announced that it had opened an investigation into the incident.
Human Rights Violations
Rahma Dziri's death in a public university dormitory, amid testimonies concerning the delayed arrival of the ambulance, the absence of permanent medical staff, and the non-operational nursing units, raises serious concerns about the extent to which the relevant public authorities have fulfilled their obligations to protect the right to life and ensure access to emergency healthcare.
Article 24 of the 2022 Constitution of the Republic of Tunisia guarantees the right to life, while Article 43 guarantees the right to health and obliges the State to ensure preventive and healthcare services and provide the necessary resources to guarantee the safety and quality of healthcare services. At the international level, Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects the inherent right to life. In its General Comment No. 36, the Human Rights Committee clarifies that States' obligations are not limited to refraining from arbitrary deprivation of life, but also include taking appropriate measures to protect life against foreseeable threats, including intervening in circumstances that may expose individuals to serious risks.
Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights also guarantees the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. In its General Comment No. 14, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights explains that this right requires the availability of healthcare facilities and services and access to them, including the provision of medical care in emergency situations.
In this context, the official acknowledgment of the absence of permanent medical staff and the non-operational nursing units, together with testimonies concerning the delayed ambulance response and the lack of prompt medical assistance for the other students, raises serious questions about the dormitory's preparedness to respond to medical emergencies and whether the necessary human resources, equipment, and emergency response mechanisms were in place to protect the health and safety of its residents.
This issue extends beyond Rahma's death to the safety of the other students residing at the dormitory, particularly given reports of a similar medical incident in the past.
Furthermore, holding an event in a hall described as small and narrow, alongside reports of fainting, shock, and suffocation among several students, raises questions about the safety and preventive measures in place for group activities organised within the dormitory, and whether appropriate precautions were taken to prevent health risks. These circumstances call for an examination of whether the conditions under which the event was organised were adequate and safe.
The right to life also requires a prompt, effective, independent, and impartial investigation into the death, in order to clarify the circumstances, establish the timeline of the medical response, determine whether any shortcomings in the emergency response contributed to the outcome, and identify responsibilities where appropriate.
In this regard, the dormitory administration's attribution of the death to an "acute heart attack" must be distinguished from medical findings established through specialised examinations. The cause of death should not be considered conclusive before the necessary medical examinations and investigations have been completed.
The Southern University Services Office's announcement that it has opened an investigation is an important procedural step. However, this investigation must lead to clarification of the circumstances surrounding Rahma's death, an assessment of the dormitory's emergency response capacity, and the identification of the corrective measures needed to prevent similar incidents from happening again.