A series of marches have taken place in Cairo to commemorate the 25th January uprising which occurred in 2011. Two years have since passed and the Land of the Nile is even further from the democratic principles they had hoped for. Following the removal of democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi, the military dictatorship has: implemented anti-demonstration laws which forbids protests against the regime; dismantled media outlets which were critical of the status quo and president Abdel Fatah el-Sisi; instilled fear throughout the population so that they are too afraid to speak out; TV stations, non-Islamist and liberal voices critical of the current leadership suspended; high levels of media censorship; anyone casting doubt on the competence of the government, the Interior Ministry or the armed forces is automatically considered a supporter of terrorism; use of torture in interrogations and in prisons have spiked since Sissis inauguration to power; supporters and activists for the Muslim Brotherhood and other leftist movements have been incarcerated or had death penalties given to them; etc. More than 15,000 pro-Morsi supporters are currently in prion, with a total of 1,400 people killed following Sisis crackdown. Bread, freedom, social justice and human dignity, were not just slogans but the aims of pro-democracy activists who converged in their millions on Cairos iconic Tahrir Square in a movement which overthrew Mubarak. Sadly, nothing has changed. Yesterday 17 year-old student Sondos Rida Abu Bakr was shot and killed by Egyptian forces in Alexandria; earlier today Shaimaa el-Sabagh died from birdshot injuries to her head and body in downtown Cairo. Police had opened fire to disperse crowds marching peacefully to Tahir Square to lay a commemorative wreath of roses. This is in accordance with the anti-demonstration laws enacted in November 2013 which outlaws public gatherings of more than 10 people without the governments consent, condemned as repressive by 19 human rights groups in Egypt and Amnesty International. Noam Chomsky has predicted another revolution to occur under the current government of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi due to its inability to address the countries problems, adding that the country was waiting for another revolutionary outbreak and that the current government can no longer rely on the financial support from the oil-rich Gulf states. The 2011 uprising, however, has benefitted Egyptians in someways with it forming a strengthened labor activism and popular desire for change. That may well be the case. History has shown that authoritative regimes in the past which crackdown on freedoms of expression and civil liberties lessen their security - eventually they are overthrown. Egyptians asked serious questions of the military dictatorship. The biggest weapon the current incumbent #Sisi has over his people is fear; the biggest threat to his leadership is the people of #Egypt realising they have the power. #R4bia.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 22:02:37 +0000
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