Summary<\/b><\/p>\n
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Saif Zeyed, a fourth-year secondary student in the technical sciences stream, was arrested in February 2025 in connection with a criminal case. As a result, he was prevented from continuing his studies and was removed from the student registry, despite his family\u2019s requests to allow him to pursue his education while in detention.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Following his release in February 2026, his re-enrollment was refused on the grounds that a final judgment in the case was still pending.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Despite the administrative efforts undertaken by his mother to secure his right to education, these efforts had not yielded any tangible result as of the date of this documentation.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Personal Information<\/b><\/p>\n Full name:<\/b> Saif Zeyed<\/span><\/p>\n Age<\/b>: 20 years old<\/span><\/p>\n Status<\/b>: Student<\/span><\/p>\n Nationality<\/b>: Tunisian<\/span><\/p>\n Governorate<\/b>: Manouba<\/span><\/p>\n \n Facts of the Violation<\/b><\/p>\n \n Saif Zeyed, a 20-year-old student enrolled in the fourth year of the technical sciences stream, was arrested on 18 February 2025 in connection with a criminal case, which prevented him from continuing his studies.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Subsequently, his mother submitted a request to allow him to pursue his education from within the detention facility; however, the request was rejected. The family also received a letter issued by the school director on 9 May 2025 informing them that he had been removed from the student registry. As part of her efforts to secure his right to education, his mother submitted a petition to the Presidency of the Republic on 8 October 2025, but received no meaningful response.<\/span><\/p>\n \n On 13 February 2026, Saif Zeyed was released following his appearance before the judiciary. Thereafter, his mother initiated procedures to have him re-enrolled in school. She submitted a written request to the school director, followed by petitions to the Regional Commissioner for Education in Manouba and to the Minister of Education dated 10 February 2026. She was informed by the Regional Commissioner that her son\u2019s re-enrollment remained contingent upon the issuance of a final judgment in the case.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Despite these multiple efforts, Saif Zeyed had not been able to return to school as of the date of this documentation.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Human Rights Violations<\/b><\/p>\n \n The treatment to which Saif Zeyed was subjected constitutes a compound violation of several rights guaranteed under the Constitution, domestic legislation, and international treaties, foremost among them the right to education, the principle of equality, the presumption of innocence, and the rehabilitative purpose of criminal sanctions.<\/span><\/p>\n \n With regard to the right to education, Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) affirms that everyone has the right to education and that education must be made available and accessible to all on the basis of equality, with due regard to quality, equity, and non discrimination. Article 44 of the Tunisian Constitution similarly guarantees the right to education and obliges the State to ensure conditions of quality and equal opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n \n At the legislative level, Law No. 52 of 2001, in particular Article 19, guarantees the right of prisoners to education and requires prison authorities to enable them to continue their studies and to provide the necessary conditions for doing so, including access to educational materials and documentation. Accordingly, the denial of Saif Zeyed\u2019s right to continue his education during his detention constitutes a clear violation of this law, especially as the legislator did not condition this right on the issuance of a final judgment, but rather guarantees it to all detainees, whether convicted or held in pre trial detention.<\/span><\/p>\n \n With respect to the presumption of innocence and fair trial guarantees, Article 27 of the Tunisian Constitution clearly establishes that an accused person shall be treated as innocent until proven guilty by a final judgment. Accordingly, the adoption of an administrative measure of a punitive nature, such as permanent removal from the school registry or conditioning re enrollment on the issuance of a final judgment, constitutes a premature sanction and an encroachment upon the authority of the judiciary. It also transforms pre trial detention, which is intended to be an exceptional measure to ensure the proper administration of justice, into a de facto penalty affecting the student\u2019s civil rights, in contradiction with the underlying principles of criminal procedure.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Furthermore, modern criminal policy, as reflected in Law No. 52 of 2001, is based on the principles of rehabilitation and social reintegration. Education constitutes one of the most important tools for rehabilitation and the prevention of recidivism. This is consistent with Tunisia\u2019s international obligations, particularly under the ICESCR, which guarantees the right to education without discrimination. In addition, Rule 104 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, the Nelson Mandela Rules, requires that measures, including education, be taken to prepare prisoners for their reintegration into society.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Accordingly, preventing Saif Zeyed from continuing his education, both during his detention and after his release, undermines the objectives of reintegration and increases the risk of social stigma and exclusion.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms therefore considers that the removal of Saif Zeyed from the student registry and the refusal to re enroll him solely on the basis of his detention in connection with a criminal case constitute a violation of the constitutional right to education, a breach of the principle of equality, and an infringement of the presumption of innocence, in addition to a clear violation of the provisions of the prison law. This administrative decision is disproportionate to any legitimate aim that the authorities may seek to pursue.<\/span><\/p>\n"},"free-categories":[105],"countries":[37],"state":[45],"class_list":["post-6167","freedom-faces","type-freedom-faces","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","free-categories-105","countries-37","state-45"],"yoast_head":"\n