Egyptians mass in Tahrir to honour uprising

Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to commemorate the first anniversary of the Egyptian revolution that toppled their long-time ruler, Hosni Mubarak.

It is a year since Egyptians, inspired by an uprising in Tunisia, took to the streets to call for reform and to demand the resignation of Mubarak, Egypt's president for 30 years.

"Down with military rule" and "Revolution until victory, revolution in all of Egypt's streets" were chanted by one group of mainly youths in an area of Tahrir on Wednesday.

Sherine Tadros, reporting from Tahrir Square, said: "For a section of people demonstrating here, it's really just about military hijacking the revolution, and about Islamist parties and movements now making the gains instead of those who actually initiated the revolution."

"But others say it is a rocky transition but it is still a transition pointing out to the fact that Egypt had first free and fair elections in decades and people’s assembly which reflects will of the people."

Meanwhile, about 3,000 people, who were pardoned by the military rulers coinciding with the anniversary, have walked out of Tora prison located on the outskirts of Cairo.

In an apparent attempt to appease reformist demands, the military council has in recent days pardoned people convicted in military courts since Mubarak was toppled.

The military, which was handed power as the president stepped down on February 11, has planned mass celebrations with a naval parade in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, air shows in Cairo and fireworks displays around the country.

The ruling military council is also issuing commemorative coins for the occasion and is expected to honour public servants.

It has called on Egyptians to "preserve the spirit of January 25, which united the Egyptian people, men and women, young and old, Muslims and Christians".

Al Jazeera's Tadros said: "What we have right now is their [military] promise. And this was something reiterated by Field Marshal Tantawi on Tuesday."

"Apart from saying that the scope of emergency law would be narrowed, he also said and promised, come July when there is new president in power the military will go back to barracks.

"But the big question is what will be their legacy? What kind of role they want to carve out for themselves? What kind of backroom deal they could have made with the largest force in the parliament [Muslim Brotherhood] so is to guarantee their immunity."

'Objectives of the revolution'

Activists say the revolution has been hijacked by Hussein Tantawi, for two decades Mubarak's defence minister, who now heads the military council.

Wael Khalil, Egyptian blogger and activist, told Al Jazeera: "Definitely, the revolution has not achieved its goal and that’s why the main slogan now on the street is, people going back to Tahrir Square, because the revolution continues until it realises its goal."

"Everything that has been achieved in the past one year was a result of people’s protests and demands.

"The trial of Mubarak, free elections, participation of people in the elections and other demands were not achieved by power from above, not by SCAF, but people pressuring from below."

Prominent novelist and pro-democracy activist Alaa al-Aswani wrote in the independent daily al-Masry al-Youm: "We must take to the streets on Wednesday, not to celebrate a revolution which has not achieved its goals, but to demonstrate peacefully our determination to achieve the objectives of the revolution."

These goals remain to "live in dignity, bring about justice, try the killers of the martyrs and achieve a minimum social justice", he wrote.

Dalia Mogahed, director and senior analyst at the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center, told Al Jazeera "Egyptians are more optimistic about their future than they have been in a very a long time".

According to research done by her group, Mogahed said most Egyptians believe things are getting better and will get better in the future. She said the vast majority of Egyptians still have faith in the military and the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF).

She said Tahrir Square was an important component of the story, but not the entire story. Research shows that more than 85 per cent of Egyptians say they still have confidence in the SCAF.

Partial lifting of emergency

Protesters want Tantawi and the other ruling generals to step down immediately and to stay out of the drafting of the country's new constitution, for fear they may enshrine military powers into the charter.

The military has pledged to cede power to civilian rule when a president is elected by June.

On Tuesday, it announced a partial lifting of a state of emergency, but kept a clause saying emergency laws in place since 1981 would still apply to cases falling into the vague category of "thuggery".

The Muslim Brotherhood, which won the most seats in recent parliamentary elections, has announced it will join the celebrations on Wednesday, without calling for "a second revolution" or demanding that the military give up power.

"The formation of the parliament is the biggest celebration of the anniversary of the revolution," the group said on its website, a day after the lower house convened for the first time since it was dissolved after the uprising.

Leading Muslim Brotherhood member Saad al-Katatni was elected speaker of parliament on Monday, in scenes unthinkable just a year ago when the group was still banned.

Mubarak will spend the anniversary in a Cairo military hospital, where he is in custody accused of involvement in the killing of protesters during the uprising that toppled him.

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CROWDS of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square to mark the first anniversary of Egypt's revolution, as the country's ruling military council announced a partial end to the emergency rule that has dominated people's lives for more than 30 years.

But it kept a clause saying emergency laws - in place since 1981 - would still apply in cases of ''thuggery'', a vague term that has drawn criticism from human rights groups and raised eyebrows in Washington.

''We are seeking some clarification from the Egyptian government … what they mean by that,'' the US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

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Egyptians gather in Tahrir Square to mark the one year anniversary of the revolution on January 25, 2012 in Cairo Egypt. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

''The fact that they are finally, after these many, many months of demands, taking the major step is very important for Egypt and for its future.''

To further appease democracy activists who want the country's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to cede power to a civilian government, the military pardoned and released this week nearly 2000 prisoners arrested and tried in military courts since the former president Hosni Mubarak was swept from power.

Yesterday was declared a public holiday by the ruling military council. In Tahrir Square, which has been at the heart of Egypt's millions-strong protests and the scene of months of horrific violence, the mood was upbeat.

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A year without Mubarak

Protesters celebrate outside the presidential palace in Cairo after President Hosni Mubarak steps down. Photo: AFP

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Flags were flying high in the winter breeze, political discussions erupted into heated debates, groups chanted slogans calling for the end to military rule and hundreds more people were arriving to take their place in this rolling democracy movement.

The crowd was calm early on, and the military vowed to let the protest proceed unhindered, although it was clear they had prepared for trouble. The streets around the square leading to government buildings have been blocked by concrete cubes, reinforced cement walls, barbed wire and rows of riot police.

Like many protesters, 19-year-old Nia, who did not want her last name published, had not told her parents she would be in Tahrir Square today.

''We were so hopeful once we were rid of Mubarak, but now the army is holding us back,'' she said. ''They have done nothing about food prices, gas prices, or anything with the economy - if they cannot fix it they should allow a civilian government to take over.''

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's de facto ruler, has stuck to his deadline of handing over power after the presidential elections due in July. Activists say this should happen sooner and have nominated the elections for the parliament's upper house, due to begin on Sunday, as the next deadline for the military.

Some protesters came to the square simply to celebrate what has been an extraordinary year. Mohammed Ahmed, an English teacher from Damietta, a coastal city about 200 kilometres north of Cairo, said Egypt had undergone enormous upheaval in a short period and he was proud of the achievements so far.

''This is the first time I have felt real happiness and freedom. This is a new Egypt and this is a great time in our lives,'' he said.

''I am 47 years old and this is the first time I have felt a real optimism about a new Egypt. Of course [the military council] should hand over power, but this will happen. We will go forward gradually, step by step.''

He was especially positive about the inaugural sitting this week of the country's first democratically elected parliament in 60 years, in a house dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party.

''Here we see liberal and leftist parties and Islamist parties all speaking together - we would never see this under Mubarak. Under Mubarak we were bleeding, now we have hope.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/egyptians-upbeat-as-they-celebrate-one-year-since-start-of-revolution-20120125-1qhs6.html#ixzz1kYdCqCqU

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