Pole went on an all-inclusive to Tunisia, ended up in prison. “I got used to hunger”

Daniel Dembowski went on an all-inclusive trip to Tunisia organized by a travel agency in May 2024. A few days after arriving, the 25-year-old went on a solo tour of Tunis. When a student from Poland was photographing the demonstration, he was detained by local services.

Daniel Dembowski went to Tunisia, ended up in prison

Tunisia is currently under a state of emergency, which means it is forbidden to photograph military officers and facilities. A camera belonging to a Pole was found to contain photos that were not permitted.

In addition, the services’ attention was drawn to the fact that in some of the photos the 25-year-old posed in a uniform and on his forearm there is a tattoo of a gun, bullet and the word Karma. This was interpreted as a possible affiliation with a terrorist organization. Daniel Dembowski explained that he had such photos because he was a member of WOT.

“It was the worst time of my life”

– I marked out a route throughout the entire city centre. I also like side streets to see what life is really like. I took photos, but I looked to see if there were any prohibitions, because then I wouldn’t take them. However, I didn’t see any such prohibitions anywhere on the main street – reported Daniel Dembowski. – After a while, I noticed that two men were interested in me. I got scared because I knew where I was, that they were robbing tourists. I started to walk away. But they followed me all the time. At one point, they shouted: “Police!” and caught me – he added.

Ultimately, the 25-year-old was sent to a Tunisian jail for several weeks. “It was the worst time of my life. They gave me an old blanket and told me there was room on the floor. These were large halls, supposedly with a toilet in the corner, a hole in the ground and a small tap. It was very crowded, a lot of people. Everyone was lying on the floor,” he said.

– At that time, it was about 40 degrees in the shade. These were extreme conditions. No access to water, no food. I lost 13 kilograms. It was a struggle with myself to cope with the whole situation mentally – he added.

“I’m afraid I’m an irreversibly different person”

Daniel Dembowski said that he was sitting in one place with murderers, assassins, smugglers and terrorists. – They started talking about different scenarios, that I could even face life in prison. I started mentally preparing myself that I would be there for a very long time – he admitted.

The case was finally closed after 45 days, when the man also presented documents proving that he was a student and could not take exams due to his absence from Poland. “I’m afraid that I am a different person forever. I got used to hunger, insomnia, various traumatic situations. Now I will have to wait some time to get used to normality, to finally return,” he concluded.