Egyptians Revolution’s one year Anniversary

Egyptians on Wednesday mark the first anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, with the ruling military planning grandiose celebrations while activists vow to re-ignite their unfinished revolution.

Exactly one year ago, inspired by an uprising in Tunisia, ordinary Egyptians took to the streets to call for democratic change and to demand the fall of the regime.

On Tuesday, Egypt’s military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi announced the partial lifting of the country’s hated decades-old emergency law, in an apparent bid to placate protesters who have planned mass protests in Cairo on Wednesday.

“I have taken a decision to end the state of emergency, in all parts of the country, except in fighting acts of thuggery, starting on the morning of January 25, 2012,” Tantawi said in a televised address.

But activists claimed the move was cosmetic, denouncing the use of the term “thuggery” as a way to maintain the police’s wide powers of arrest under the law.

“For all purposes, the state of emergency has not been lifted,” said Hossam Bahgat, Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).

As Tantawi made the announcement, hundreds of protesters were already making their way to Cairo’s Tahrir Square — the symbolic heart of the uprising.

Once the official “Day of the Police”, January 25 has now been declared “Revolution Day” by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power when Mubarak stepped down last February.

Eager to restore its image after accusations of rights abuses, the military has planned mass celebrations with a naval parade in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, air shows in Cairo and fireworks displays around the country.