Tahrir Square
Mohamed Amashah, 24, was arrested after standing alone in Cairo’s Tahrir Square with a sign that read: “Freedom for all the political prisoners.”
The "million-man" march was called for by an influential Shiite cleric, though their numbers fell short of a million.
In the months after Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president it seemed as though some invisible force was trying to turn what had been a peaceful revolution into a deeply divided and violent one. There were riots, assassinations and acts of arson; all committed by unknown perpetrators.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
WHAT'S HAPPENING
As we drove there, the revolutionaries discussed their fear of disclosing their identities lest they be arrested. But I had been assured by the prime minister that they would be safe. I trusted him to keep to his word, and my confidence had grown since the snipers had stopped shooting the previous night.
On the night of January 28 - or "Angry Friday" as it became known - mobs of bullies began to circle the protesters gathered at Tahrir Square. On each side of the Square, small groups of 10 to 15 started charging at the demonstrators. It was a test; a way of assessing how those inside the Square would react.
It was more than an hour later, at almost 5pm on Friday, January 28 -- a day branded "Angry Friday" -- when the police stopped shooting at the demonstrators who were gathered outside the offices of Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper.
We had walked just 200 yards from Al-Ahram when the security forces, appearing from the side streets, suddenly closed in on us and began firing. Snipers were also targeting us. Myself, Ibrahim and many other demonstrators picked up the wounded and carried them back to the lobby of Al-Ahram.
COPENHAGEN -- Egypt's president said to the family of the murdered Italian student, "We'll find who killed Giulio." For Italians, those words were followed only by deception and delays.
