The Burundi incident that sparked reactions in Africa has taken another shape.
Three schoolgirls who were detained in Burundi for doodling on a picture of the President have been expelled from school following their release from jail, Human Rights Watch reports.
The girls, who are all minors under the age of 18 years, were detained for six days in March at Ngozi Central Prison and charged with “insulting the head of state,” President Pierre Nkurunziza, according to the rights agency.
Their detention caused an uproar on social media and Aricans were united through the hashtag #FreeOurGirls on Twitter.
A boy, who was not charged with any offenses but was arrested as part of the initial group of seven, and another girl were also expelled, HRW’s Central Africa director Lewis Mudge told CNN.
“It’s good news they were released, but the charges still haven’t been dropped, and they have now been expelled from school,” Mudge said. “This is affecting their right to an education.”
Mudge says authorities decided to expel them from the l’Ecofo Akamuri School in Kirundo province in Burundi’s north.
In a letter seen by international media, it dated March 20 from the school which stated that the students violated school regulations by “falsifying their schoolbooks.”
“As stipulated by the school regulations in Article 31 paragraph 28, these five students are permanently expelled from school,” the letter read.
The letter, signed by the school’s director Isaie Nkinzingabo, also stated that the students will have to enroll at another school in the following academic year.
That means that the students will have to wait until 2020 to resume their studies.