Thousands of Egyptians call for civil state

[News_Editor]

Thousands of Egyptians call for civil state

2011-08-14 00:40:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAIRO (BNO NEWS) -- Thousands of Egyptians returned to Cairo's Tahrir Square to demand an end to military rule, Al-Ahram state-owned newspaper reported on Saturday.

About 5,000 people on Friday participated in an iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daytime fast during Ramadan, organized by several political groups and Sufi orders. Numbers increased after iftar reaching about 15,000 demonstrators across the square, but not completely blocking the traffic flow.

Protesters were chanting mainly against the military rule and for a civil state, but several chants against the establishment of a religious state were also heard. "We neither want a military state or a theocratic state" and "we want a civil state" were the main slogans, according to the newspaper.

Brief clashes broke out after demonstrators attempted to break through the military and Central Security Forces guards surrounding the square. The military police chased demonstrators with sticks and fired shots in the air.

Friday's rally is the first one to take place in Tahrir since the military forcefully ended on August 1 the sit-in that began on July 8. Last week, hundreds had attempted to have an iftar in the square but Egyptian military police forcefully broke up the gathering.

Protesters have been demanding the immediate release of all civilians who have been sentenced by military courts and their retrial before civilian courts. They are also asking for the prosecution of those implicated in the killing of protesters during the January 25 Revolution.

According to Amnesty International, at least 840 people were killed and over 6,000 people were injured in the violent repression that took place during the January uprising.

Ousted President Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt in a 30-year-long regime, stepped down after the uprising. He appeared in court on August 3 facing charges of ordering the killing of peaceful protesters during the uprising.

Former Interior Minister Habib Ibrahim al-Adly and six other former senior officials also face charges over the deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. If convicted, they face possible death sentences.

The trial of Mubarak and his sons, Alaa and Gamal, will resume on August 15.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-14