Qasr el-Nil Police Station have gained notoriety among Egyptian activists because of the involvement of its officers in the crackdowns on Kefaya’s demonstrations in Tahrir Sq, Talaat Harb Sq and Abdel Khaleq Tharwat St. The place has become synonymous with Major Samawa’l Abu Sehla, who helped kidnap leftist blogger Muhammad el-Sharqawi, who was later tortured and sodomized by Abu Sehla and State Security officer Sherif el-Qamati.

But the old building has also a long history of torture and death of detainees in custody, the Torture in Egypt Blog reminds us.

[Above: Police Major Samawa’l Abu Sehla, identified by Sharqawi to be his kidnapper, together with Sherif el-Qamati of State Security’s so-called Counter-Communism Bureau.]

[Above: SS Officer Sherif el-Qamati, who sexually abused Sharqawi]