Middle East News
Protesters back in Cairo's Tahrir Square despite army appeals
Feb 22, 2011, 15:00 GMT
Cairo - An anti-government rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday drew a few thousand people, far less than what organizers had hoped for, amid appeals from the country's military leaders to refrain from staging further protests.
The April 6 Youth Movement spoke of 'a symbolic march to reiterate people's specific demands.'
Human rights lawyer Emad Mubarak told the German Press Agency dpa that he and other activists in Tahrir Square had decided to disregard the army's appeal.
'The protest's goal is to stress one main demand, which is to remove Ahmed Shafiq's government and form a transitional government,' he said, in reference to the current premier, who was appointed by Hosny Mubarak shortly before his resignation as president.
Protesters also renewed their calls for the removal of a controversial emergency law that bans unauthorized rallies, and demanded the release of political prisoners.
However, Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces told broadcaster Dream2 late Monday that all detainees arrested during the January 25 revolution had already been released.
Opposition groups vowed to hold a new protest on Friday.
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