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by zunguzungu

“A few other people are walking through the building, poking around. “Is this your first time in this building?” I ask a man in a black faux-leather jacket, probably in his late 20s.

“Yeah — only Revolutionary Committee members were allowed in this place before. And anyway, I wouldn’t have had any reason to come.”

He seems a little nervous talking about it. I imagine how it must feel being in the burnt-out headquarters of an institution whose name has been associated with fear for as long as you can remember…

Benghazi’s residents seem determined to move toward a peaceful future without Gaddafi — a future without the Revolutionary Committees.But coming to terms with the ghosts of the past won’t be easy. Especially when the ghosts remain among you.”

Ryan Calder, “Inside Gaddafi’s dark places…”

Former detainees and their families said any outward appearance of Islamic devotion — a long beard, for example, or too much time in the mosque — was enough to land people on State Security’s radar.

“My brother was detained because he was trying to send food and medicine to Gaza,” said Ingy Qutb, 25. “They kept him three months and tortured him and…” Her voice broke and tears spilled onto her black veil.

(Hannah Allam, “New day in Egypt: Protesters sack State Security offices”)

“This place must be destroyed,” she said softly.