Egypt: Gaza Solidarity Activists Kidnapped, Abused and then Released · Global Voices
Nermeen Edrees

While celebrating the 6th of October victory and in alliance with the International Solidarity Movement to break Gaza Siege, activists from  different Egyptian civil entities, syndicates, and political parties decided to head to Gaza in an attempt to break the siege.  The attempt was cut short by the Egyptian Security, and around 36 activists were ‘kidnapped’ and detained.
Alzahrawi  reports:
“Central Cairo was a barrack yesterday to stop a popular campaign that hoped to break the siege on Gaza, security forces cordoned off areas surrounding the Press syndicate. Police officers searched the people in the middle of the streets and banned the access of whoever found participant in the convoy, and for the first time the Egyptian company for the Subway management and operation closed one of its stations downtown to prevent ordinary people from getting mixed or joining the convoy members’ protests, a step that was meant to tighten the security over the entire region.”
He adds:
“On the other hand, In Rafah, Egyptian security arrested more than 100 activist to stop a convoy that managed to reach Salahuddin gate at the Rafah border crossing”
A few hours later, news started to come out about the release of some of the detained activists.  Malek confirms in a post on the Hesham Mubarak Law Center blog:
In a phone call with Ghazl el Mahala labor leader Kamal El Fayoumi, blogger Arabawy was told that activists were maltreated and violently assaulted during their detention:
“I spoke with Ghazl el-Mahalla labor leader Kamal el-Fayoumi, who was released around two hours ago. He said he was kidnapped by the police six blocks away from the Press Syndicate around 10am. He was approached by a plainclothes agent who requested his National ID Card, while four other thugs surrounded him. He was taken to a truck with three others, which drove them to Tora's Central Security Forces Camp, south of Cairo. Kamal said he was blindfolded and interrogated by a State Security officer, who slapped him on the face a number of times, punched him in the stomach, while shouting the worst verbal insults. Kamal met at least six other detainees inside who said they faced similar treatment. Around two hours ago, the detainees were taken, split into two groups and thrown out in a remote desert area near Maadi.”