constituteproject.org PDF generated: 18 Apr 2016, 15:30 Article 16 The state guarantees the impartiality of educational institutions from all partisan instrumentalization. Article 17 Only the state may establish armed forces and internal security forces, in conformity with the law and in the service of the public interest. Article 18 The national army is a republican army. It is an armed military force based on discipline that is composed and structurally organized in accordance with the law and charged with responsibility to defend the nation, its independence and its territorial integrity. It is required to remain completely impartial. The national army supports the civil authorities in accordance with the provisions set out in law. Article 19 The national security forces are republican; they are responsible for maintaining security and public order, ensuring the protection of individuals, institutions, and property, and ensuring the enforcement of the law while ensuring that freedoms are respected, with complete impartiality. • International law • Treaty ratification • Legal status of treaties Article 20 International agreements approved and ratified by the Assembly of the Representatives of the People have a status superior to that of laws and inferior to that of the Constitution. Title Two: Rights and Freedoms • General guarantee of equality Article 21 • Equality regardless of gender All citizens, male and female, have equal rights and duties, and are equal before the law without any discrimination. • Right to reasonable standard of living The state guarantees freedoms and individual and collective rights to all citizens, and provides all citizens the conditions for a dignified life. • Right to life Article 22 The right to life is sacred and cannot be prejudiced except in exceptional cases regulated by law. • Human dignity • Prohibition of torture Article 23 The state protects human dignity and physical integrity, and prohibits mental and physical torture. Crimes of torture are not subject to any statute of limitations. Tunisia 2014 Page 6