Cairo: Thousands of Egyptians on Friday gathered in central Cairo and other parts of the nation to push its military rulers to put former president Hosni Mubarak and officials of his regime on swift public trial.
Responding to calls for mass protests dubbed the Friday of Determination and Purge, thousands of Egyptians converged on Tahrir Square in Cairo, which was the epicentre of a popular revolt that toppled Mubarak in February.
"The Egyptians are still ready for martyrdom until victory is achieved," Mazhar Chahin, a preacher, told worshippers who gathered for the Friday noon prayers in Tahrir. "The January 25 revolution was launched to change the regime and its policy, not mere persons," he added.
Egyptians felt disappointed at what they perceive as the military rulers’ foot-dragging handling of prosecuting Mubarak and former officials charged with involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters during the uprising against his rule.
Last week, a Cairo court acquitted three former ministers of corruption charges. On Wednesday, another court upheld an earlier decision to release on bail eight police officers accused of killing 17 civilians in Suez, some 100km northeast of Cairo, in the early days of the revolt.
“The Friday of Determination will not be confined to protests,” said Samir Khaled, an activist in Tahrir Square. “Scores of activists will go on an open ended strike until the revolution’s demands are met,” he added. “The large numbers of people who showed up for this protest clearly shows that the spirit of the revolution is still alive.”
He was speaking as loudspeakers blared out patriotic songs.
Protesters have pitched several tents across the iconic plaza, demanding that the state institutions, mainly the Interior Ministry, be “purged” of loyals to Mubarak. They, moreover, want all political detainees be released and an end to trying civilians at military courts.
Police stayed away from Tahrir where vigilante groups took charge of checking people’s ID cards to prevent “thugs” from causing trouble inside. Several thugs with arms were stopped and handed over to the military police, according to the protest organisers.
Several protesters, meanwhile, fainted due to the high temperatures and received medical treatment in a field hospital set up on the fringe of the square, they added.
Mass protests were also held in Suez where demonstrators vowed to continue a sit-in until “martyrs’ killers” are brought to justice.
Meanwhile, scores of people gathered outside a hospital in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm Al Shaikh where Mubarak has been staying since April 13, according to witnesses. They demanded he be put on trial on charges of corruption and involvement in killing protesters. Mubarak’s trial is already set for August 3, but its location has yet to be determined.
At least 846 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured during the revolt against Mubarak, according to a fact-finding commission.
