Thousands of Egyptians packed Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday in what organisers called a "second revolution" to push for faster reforms and a speedy trial for ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his former aides. Activists complain of delays in putting Mubarak, his family and members of his ousted regime on trial and that the army has not restored order quickly enough to the country of 80 million.
Egyptians are also demanding an end to endemic graft, one of the main grievances that drove thousands of protesters onto the streets in the uprising that began on January 25. "After some 1,000 martyrs ... people do not see any change," said Mustafa Ali Menshawi, a 38-year-old accountant, who was helping marshal crowds flooding into the square. "The only change we see is that the Mubarak metro station has been changed to the Martyrs station," he said.
In a move seen as aimed at appeasing protesters, authorities on Tuesday ordered Mubarak to stand trial on charges of graft and "pre-meditated killing" of protesters during the uprising that ousted him on February 11. If convicted, Mubarak could face the death penalty. He has been detained at a hospital in the tourist Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since April when he was reported to have suffered heart problems during an initial questioning.
Hundreds staged a protest in front of the hospital calling for his departure. They said his presence was driving tourists away, according to state TV. The ruling military council withdrew the army from near the protests in Cairo and has ordered security forces to stay away. Tahrir Square was decked with Egyptian flags and placards demanding that officials who worked under Mubarak and squandered state funds be investigated.
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