In Pictures: Memories of Egypt’s Revolution, Five Years on

In Pictures: Egypt Marks 5 Years Since Start of Anti-Mubarak Uprising

Monica Sarup
Photos
Updated:
Anti-government protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square listen as President Hosni Mubarak speaks to the nation on 10 February 2011. (Photo: Reuters)
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Anti-government protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square listen as President Hosni Mubarak speaks to the nation on 10 February 2011. (Photo: Reuters)
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Monday marks the fifth anniversary of Egyptians launching protests against long-time leader Hosni Mubarak in a revolt that helped spark a wave of uprisings across the Middle East.

The run-up to the Monday anniversary has seen stepped-up security measures in place in the capital, Cairo, as well as a new wave of arrests and security checks in the city’s downtown, an area popular with young, pro-democracy activists.

A look back at the events of 5 years ago when Mubarak was toppled in protests that became known as the Arab Spring.

Protesters flee from tear gas fire during clashes in Cairo 28 January 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

The Revolution

On 25 January 2011, massive anti-Mubarak protests erupted after a revolt toppled Tunisia’s ruler in what becomes known as the Arab Spring.

On 1 February, more than a million demonstrators took to the streets, with a great flood of people congregating in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

On 11 February, Mubarak resigned and handed power to the army, which suspended the Constitution and dissolved the parliament.

Riot police clash with protesters in Cairo on 26 January 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, in office since 2014, has since the 2013 overthrow of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi overseen a harsh crackdown that has jailed thousands of Islamists and scores of secular activists.

In speeches over the past two days, el-Sissi has vowed a firm response to any unrest. On Sunday, he paid tribute to the 2011 uprising, saying Egyptians were building a “civilian, modern and developed state that upholds the values of democracy and freedom.”

Egyptian pro-democracy supporters gather in Tahrir Square in Cairo on 18 February 2011. (Photo: Reuters)
Smoke billows over Cairo following clashes between protesters and police on 28 January 2011. (Photo: Reuters)
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A man carries a picture depicting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as Adolf Hitler during a protest in Cairo on 31 January 2011. (Photo: Reuters)
A protester stands in front of a burning barricade during a demonstration in Cairo on 28 January 2011. (Photo: Reuters)
Opposition supporters pray and move around Tahrir Square in Cairo on 9 February 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

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Published: 25 Jan 2016,03:18 PM IST

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