Form parameter encoding with SSL

Hi!

I'd like to call a CGI-Script from a hyperlink, e.g.:
<a href="http://server/cgiscript?param=value">

The parameter/value-pairs should be encoded when delivering
them to the server. I'm using SSL for security. My problem
is that I couldn't find a statement wheter parameters
in a form submission are encoded. The GET method appends
parameters directly to the URL so I cound imagine they
are not encoded, only the requested document.

Mybe POST parameters are encoded since they're sent after
the initial request. If so, is there a simple solution
to call a POST-Script with parameters directly from a
hyperlink?

Thanks in advance,
Christoph.