Protesters converged on Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday to join camping pro-democracy activists for a demonstration to keep up the pressure on the country’s military rulers over the pace of reforms.
Around 5,000 protesters were in the square including families of victims who died in the uprising to call for the trial of police officers implicated in the deaths, AFP reporters said.
Some held signs demanding an end to military trials of civilians, others wanted the resignation of the interior minister and the speedy and open trials of old regime officials. Protesters who first took to the streets to demand the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak, began shifting their anger towards the ruling military council, accusing it of using Mubarak-era tactics to stifle dissent.
Other key demands at the Tahrir Square demonstration include an transparent political process and freedom of expression, after the military council was accused of intimidating the media by summoning several reporters who criticised it.
