URGENT CALL TO SAVE THE LIFE OF THE PRISONER OF OPINION

Document (anglais et arabe) présenté par l’AISPP.

Presently staying at the civil prison of Sfax way to Agareb region in a single isolation ( alone ) under N° 12381 ( the previous Ner and in the same single isolation used to be 1290)

Tunis on the 14th of July 2003,

Full name : Karim Ben Amor Ben Khaled

Family name : HAROUNI

Date & place of birth : 17th of December 1960 at la Marsa-Northern Suburb of Tunisia

He is twin ( of a sister )

Social situation : Single

Nationality : Tunisian

Initial address : Mahmoud Beirem Tounsi Street N° 11 Marsa Beach - La Marsa Tunis (ia)

New address : Building 26.26 Bloc B Apartment 04B-Sidi Amor Kram Ouest 2089 le Kram-Tunis.

Studies : He was distinguished by excelling and for being respected by his teachers and appreciation by his professors and University teachers.

  The Primary Studies level :

At Habib Bourguiba Street la Marsa- City - La Marsa

  The Secondary Studies level :

At Carthage Presidence School - Carthage Northern Suburb of Tunisia

He succeeded the Baccalaureat exam with " Good Mention " marks in June 1979 session in Mathematics and Sciences section.

  The University Studies level :

At the Tunisian National Ingineering School ( Ecole Nationale des Ingénieurs de Tunis : E.N.I.T ) in the campus of Universities of Sciences in Tunis.

He was graduated as a High Engineer in Civil Engineering ( ’Ingénieur Principal en génie civil’ ) in July 1985.

He wanted to continue his studies, aiming at obtaining the Doctorate but, unfortunately his being followed and imprisoned prevented him from that.

  Karim could lay the fondation of the Tunisian General Union of Students ( U.G.T.E ) and was elected as the Secretary General of this organisation and obtained the support and dense presence of wide student peoples’ range ( in thousands ) and by conviction in all the regions of the Tunisian Republic and which was dissolved later on, by the government.

The hobbies, qualities and principles :

- Volley-ball

- Foot-ball ( especially )

Karim joined the football team of " L’Avenir Sportif de la Marsa", in the position of wright defense of the youngers and then the Juniors who obtained on 1977 the national championship and was qualified to the final cup turn.

- Swimming

- Walking

- Chess game

- Hand drawing and picturing

- Listening to the religious songs and singing them

- My son Karim loves God too much and Our Prophet Mohamed, peace and prayers be on Him from God- and Islam and defends them as well.

- He also loves the family and looks after pleasing the parents

- He has a cool nature

- He is intelligent

- He is organised

- He is eloquent and has the sense of humour

- He is very modest

- He bears responsibilities and has a strong personality

- He advanced the others interests to his

- He respects people whatever their way of thinking, their inclination or their affiliation is

- He respects the others feelings

- He is faithful and loyal

- He is audacious and frank and calls things by their names without misleading

- He advices people in a smooth, tolerant and convincing way, even if it has to do with his family and he grew up in an open-minded family atmosphere

- He respects people independently of their way of reasoning, their orientation or their membership and imposes the respect of people towards him and his ideas too

- His principle : any idea is subject to discussion within the respect of the agreement or disagreement in positions about it and allowing peoples to have their rights of expression and choice

- He hates injustice and violence :

He says to the person = you did well when he/she really did well and you did wrong when he/she did wrong, not to be unfair

- He defends the fair human causes

- He is considered as the brother, the son, and friend

- He is attached to mosques and especially El Ahmadi Mosque at la Marsa-Beach and praying behind the Imams and reading the Holy Coran and the Sunna of our Sacred Prophet Mohamed.

I do not exaggerate when I say that my son Karim is a distinguished person by his highly qualified and straight behavior .

The year during which the Minister of High Education & Science Research, Abdellaziz BEN DHIA decided to make reforms relative to the programs of this field and which was not agreed upon by the organization of The tunisian General Union of Students ( U.G.T.E. ) and the majority of the students, due to the non- responding of these reforms to the student’s interests and his scientific future.

Since then, the harsh treatments and following of my son Karim increased from the Security State Groups and his exposure to tracing and fetching him in the universities, mosques and house ( family ) and his brother was arrested and taken to the Security Police region at Bouchoucha for one week and because of the questioning operation; looking for finding the place where Karim is and was then transfered to the reanimation center in one of the central tunis Hospitals and Mr Khemaïes CHAMARI knows about the details of his situation.

At this time, he used to hold a position in the Humam Rights Organisation at " le Colisee " in Central Tunis and the accusation addressed to my son Karim was : ’the affiliation in a non-authorised organisation’.

By then, he was judged with the leaders and members of " Ennahdha Mouvement " by the State Security Court and my son Karim was kept to be sentenced the last one in this judgement of the file of Ennahdha Mouvement that was dissolved.

This Court gave sentence to my son Karim of 5 years of prison and 10 years of administrative control, after Karim’s having made an objection dated the 27th of September 1987 and the judgement was registered under N° 20 While the first was registered under N° 19 on the 28th of November 1987 under n° 19.

Karim was put in 9 avril prison in central Tunis, then he was transferred to Borj Erroumi prison in Bizerte ( the far distance for the family to visit and his tough staying conditions) and we sent letters to the concerned ministeries in this respect.

When an amnesty was granted to " opinion political prisoners " and issued under n° 63 and dated the 3rd of July 1989, Karim was released from Borj Erroumi prison on the 6th of November 1988.

Also, the decision for the abolition of the State Security Court was taken and then, that of the single isolation (alone) also.

Likewise, the representative from Ennahdha Mouvement, the Barrister Mr BHIRI was invited to the presidential palace in Carthage so as to agree and sign the National Compact.

After that period, my son Karim was given a sentence of 9 (nine) months and then reduced to 6 (six) months after the Court of Appeal and later we have been informed that he was given a judgement by default at the Court of Medenine for an imprisonment period of 2 (two) years under case of law sentence N° 6332 dated 18th of July 1991 and registered in la Marsa-Beach Police station under 1862 dated 6th of September 1991 the accusation the affiliation of a non-authorized organization and in 1991, the Military Court was raised for trial of the ’Ennahdha Mouvement’ once again and for the same occusations.

This Court gave sentence on my son Karim of ’perpetual’ and he was put in several prison in Tunisia, amongwhich were the followings =

(to Tunis from la Marsa : 17 Km)

Tunis Bizerte : 65 km

Tunis Mahdia : 205 km

Tunis Messâadine : 155 km

Tunis Sidi Bouzid : 283 km

Tunis Monastir : 165 km

Tunis El Houareb ( Kairouan ) : 200 km

Tunis Sfax : 270 km

In El Houareb ( Kairouan ) he spent 5 ( five ) years in ’a group’ of isolation with Mr Halim KACEM and Ilyess ROMDHANI from Ennahdha mouvement party and Karim’s last N° as a prisoner there was 11777 and in November 2002 Karim’s sentence was reduced from perpetual to 30 (thirty) years of prison while the law determines that the reduction has to be to 20 (twenty) years and my son Karim claims the Legislative General Amnesty; bringing back to him his full rights and we request all the establishments, associations working for the human rights and fair organisations to enable my son Karim to get this right.

During his imprisonment and still, my son Karim has always been in isolation.

My son Karim was transfered and removed more to the civil prison of Sfax at Tina way to Agareb on the 18th of April 2003 from the civil prison of El Houareb-Kairouan and this date corresponds with the National Security Remembrance day feast.

This took place following a claim that has became of a great insistence so as to move my son Karim from El Houareb civil prison, due to the oppressions that he encountered and that were very dangerous, by the responsible of division where Karim was isolated- named Bechir M’HAMDI and these oppressions were subdueded on my son Karim and his companions in the isolation which led to Karim’s raising a law case against him at the Republic Attorney’s end of the city of Kairouan and we sent a letter to the Minister of Justice and Human Rights and Mr Zakarya BEN MUSTAPHA, the President of the High League of Human Rights in Tunisia.

By now, my son Karim has spent 12 (twelve) years of prison and the unhuman confinement conditions are very painful and too dangerous (slow-death) and he is in a single isolation (alone) where he was put from the first day of his removal to sfax civil prison and is still there while this kind of isolation was abolished and the situations in which prisoners are isolated in this prison and according to which they are treated are the followings :

- Under questioning

- Sentenced to death

- Suffering from a contagious desease

Despite sereval claims made towhom it concerns, the situation remained the same.

In the single isolation, there is a small window and being closed, light is lacking ( especially that he wants to read newspapers and write during the night ), airing is missing too.

He is also prevented from watching television.

My son Karim lately asked the doctor to deliver him a certificate, attesting that confining Karim alone in such a place threatens his life that becomes in danger.

So, in case of a healthy attack hopefully not taking place - and no rescuer and suppose that in such a state, he finds himself striving to creep and reach the door with difficulty and keeps knocking at the door in function of the tiring effort and on the other hand, the time that takes the rescuing guardian to come if even he might be there.

So, all this causes in one word although I am unable as a father to prononce it but the danger of the situation and its intensity force me, unwillingly and with bitterness to say it which is God forbid !, death.

Moreover, man is civil by nature.

Also, my son asked for a ring he can press. to call for a rescuer... and he is sill waiting for that ...

Glimpse :

The visits : once per month due to the remote distance and costs...

Since the trial and imprisonment of my son Karim, he is authorised to be visited only by the close family members that is the parents, the brothers and sisters, no more and for 12 years and even since the first trial by the State Security Court.

The "area " : my son Karim is taken out to the area at the different time to that of common- prisoners. He doesn’t see " other people " apart from the guardians of the prison or those of its administration ( the latters of course not frequently ).

The newspapers : The authorised national daily newspapers are interrupted ( when some news happen to be published and the administration of the prison considers that Karim does not have to read them, these newspapers are prohibited and that was made especially in El Houareb civil prison in Kairouan.

Television : He also was deprived from watching it, he was allowed so in El Haoureb civil prison ( of course after having claimed such right ) in Kairouan.

Then, he has been prevented from it again from the first day he was exiled to Sfax.

He is completely isolated in the place, in the relationship with the external world, from what is going on, from the other prisoners.

Books : in prisons, libraries contain old books and for secondary school level and for a very limited educational level. That is to say, my son Karim does not take benfit from them. In the civil prison of sfax are founds books for secondary educational level

* The book of : Explanation and enlightenment, written by the Very learned Tunisian Imam Cheikh El Fadhel TAHAR BEN ACHOUR and this book deals with the explanation of the Holy Coran published in Tunisia and sold in libraries and during this imprisonment period, that is 12 years my son Karim keeps renewing and multiplying demands to different concerned authorities to allow him to read this book and the reply by the administration of the prison was the refusal and we bought the book and after years the previous Director of the civil prison of El Houareb authorised the entry of the book; composed of parts and informed my son Karim that upon finishing the reading of the first part, the administration will take it back from him and then give him the following part, so on and so forth... till he fully reads the book.

But even before he could finish reading the first part that was given to him, this same part was taken back again from him by the administration of the same prison.

Thank God who granted my son Karim the priviledge of learning the Holy Coran by heart and he says that he wants also to deeply understand the content of this book after having learned it so as to act and work accordingly.

This book is at the administration of the civil prison in Sfax and their answer given to my son Karim was that they are waiting for the decision to be given re this matter.

How is this book prohibited for him; it is the sole book that Karim insisted to read it for the sake of his love of God and the religion of Islam; because he wants to do his best to accomplish the deeds as dictated by God The Supreme and Glorious, sothat he clings to the equation = learning + understanding + acting which is the completion of faith.

How couldn’t he be allowed to read such a book especially that his year 2003 in Tunisia has been called the National year of the book and an international fair for the book was held.

My son Karim also asked for a book for the english language to remember the language, also it was refused, it is a book for the advanced level of Baccalaureat, used by all the tunisian schools and is of course prepared by the Ministry of Education.

Copy-books : my son Karim has copy-books in which he registered the drafts of letters he sent to the President of the Republic and the other ministeries concerning his staying conditions and his treatment as a prisoner in the tunisian prisons, a political and opinion prisoner.

In these copy-books also there are notes and follow-up and study events of the Palestinian newspapers that he is allowed to read.

They are 6 copy-books and have not been returned back to my son Karim yet and were taken from him in El Houareb prison; at the administration there. He is still asking for returning back to him.

Letters : the allowed ones are but letters he sends to the family and receives same from them ( parents and brothers and sisters).

Letters take months to be sent or received in the prison of Sfax, the average time ( up to now ) is 2 weeks.

  Other letters he sent to us but never arrived while the postal average delay for arrival of letters does not exceed 03 ( three ) days max ( in these kinds of distances ).

** The visit : has an indirect aspect in all the prisons that my son Karim was imprisoned in; between him and us there are 02 ( two ) obstacles separated by a distance of about one meter or a bit more and with the presence a member of guardians and in the civil prison of Sfax there is one obstacle of glass and the converstion between us is on the phone and in the presence of guardians and the visit takes place once per month due to the far distance and the day is Saturday and time is 12.30’.

** When my son Karim was moved to the civil prison of Sfax, we asked the General Administration of prisons and re-education in Central Tunis on the 21st of April 2003 if he was moved to any other prison ?

The answer was that he was still in the civil prison of El Houareb and the civil prison of Sfax answered back the same question : you have to contact the General Administration of prisons and re-education to know the answer...

Consequently, we went to El Houareb prison for the visit on 26th of April and there we were told he was moved to the civil prison of Sfax and from there, we had to go to Sfax, if they informed us re this moving before, we should have gone directly instead of all this pain especially that the day was very hot which strengthened our fatigue, mainly his sick mother and the hours that the transportation takes in going and returning back.

My son Karim is known for his streggle and his patriotism and working for the participation in the evoluation of his country; always for the best.

He is known too, in all the surroundings for his defense of thousands of students who chose him by conviction to fulfill his fuction, so we call God The Supreme and Omnipotent to set him free and request, in this occasion, all the sides capable of fully taking care of the case of my son Karim and do not delay in carrying out their effective role towards my son Karim and intervene for that reason so that we all delight with his returning back to us urgently, with God willing .

With our thanks to all of you and respect for your valuable efforts.

Peace be on you.

Amor HAROUNI

The father of the Opinion & Political Prisoner, Mr Karim HAROUNI, The Ex-Secretary General of The Tunisian General Union of Students

( U.G.T.E ) _ N° 12381 at the civil prison of Sfax ( a new prison ) at Tina-Way to Agareb _Sfax.