CAIRO: Tens of thousands of Egyptians waved flags and shouted slogans Friday in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square, demanding that Hosni Mubarak and his family be put on trial over allegations of corruption in one of the biggest protests since the longtime president was ousted two months ago.
The massive turnout reflected growing frustration with what activists see as the slowness of Egypt’s new military rulers to punish top former figures in Mubarak’s regime seen as using their power to amass personal fortunes.
It was the biggest turnout in the iconic Cairo square since Feb. 18, when Egyptians flocked Tahrir to celebrate Mubarak’s ouster.
Regular rallies have been held since Mubarak was toppled on Feb. 11, but the numbers were believed to be significantly higher this week because of the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest and most organized opposition movement.
The military appears to be trying to accelerate the prosecutions, with authorities announcing a day earlier that Mubarak’s former chief of staff, Zakariya Azmy, had been detained for questioning on corruption allegations, the highest-ranking member of his regime to be arrested so far. They also said investigators would begin questioning another senior regime insider, former ruling party chief, Safwat El-Sherif.
Since his ouster on Feb. 11, Mubarak and his family have been under house arrest at a presidential palace in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, their assets frozen.
"If Mubarak is not prosecuted, we will go to Sharm El-Sheikh," read on banner held aloft by the protesters.
The crowds packing Tahrir Square chanted to Defense Minister Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, who heads the military council that now runs the country, demanding prosecutors go after Mubarak and his sons — including Gamal, an investment banker-turned-political who was seen as Mubarak’s choice as his successor.
"Tantawi, are you a guard for Mubarak?" read one banner stretched above the crowd. Another read, "Military council, are you with us or not?"
"We are not leaving here until Mubarak is on trial," one speaker at a podium in the square vowed, as the crowd chanted, "The people want to try the deposed president."
Organizers labeled the protest "Friday of Purification and Trial," referring to the demand to cleanse the government of corruption. Protesters put together a makeshift cage on the pavement in Tahrir, with pictures of Mubarak and his family inside.
"It is clear now that no demands are met except under pressure," said Mohamed Abbas, a member of the coalition of youth activists who organized the 18-day wave of mass demonstrations that forced Mubarak out of power. "Mubarak is the one who stole our money. Why is he still in Sharm El-Sheikh?"
"It’s a strong message that the revolution is not over yet and is still going on and will not quieten down before its goals are realized," said Hassan Nafaa, a professor of political science and a prominent figure in the reform movement.
Since Mubarak’s fall, the unprecedented youth movement that ousted him has seen some fragmentation, as the military pushed ahead with a quick timetable for new parliament and presidential elections to be held in September and November. That has sent various factions scrambling to get organized to contest the vote.
But the corruption issue provides a unifying theme that resonates among most Egyptians. Mubarak’s regime was long criticized as deeply corrupt — particular a group of millionaire businessmen-politicians close to Gamal who many believe profited from their positions as Gamal implemented a program of economic privatization and liberalization.
Many Egyptians also want to see the leadership punished for years of political repression, including widespread vote fraud during elections and security crackdowns. Already, a string of former officials have been put on trial or under investigation.
In the latest announcement, prosecutor Assem al-Gawhari told the state-run news agency on Thursday that former chief of staff Azmy was detained for 15 days for questioning on using his position to amass a fortune. Azmy was considered Mubarak’s trusted right-hand man.
Days earlier, Egypt’s former housing minister, Mohammed Ibrahim Suleiman, was arrested on suspicion he was involved in the illegal sale of state lands for cut-rate prices.
Hossam Bahgat, who heads the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the protests had been successful.
"People are coming primarily to keep the momentum. The transition process has so far lacked predictability," Bahgat said.
"The Friday protests have so far been effective in getting two or three concessions each time."
Earlier, draped in Egyptian flags, Muslims were joined by Christians for weekly prayers during which Muslim cleric Safwat Hegazy called for Mubarak to face criminal charges.
"We don’t only want to try him for the millions (of dollars) but also for the blood," he told the crowd. We want to try him just as he tried the people in state security courts, but we want a popular trial."
Hegazy said the "cleansing" had to go beyond the presidential palace, threatening to storm the state television building because regime elements were still there.
"The rotten smell of the regime emanates from under their masks. We are prepared to occupy this building and manage it to make a patriotic media," he said.
Protesters stand under poster of against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, top center, and some chief editors of governmental newspapers and magazines, during a protest in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square, the focal point of Egyptian uprising, demanding prosecution of Mubarak and his regime Friday, April 8, 2011. Arabic read " the fake of change chiefs of newspapers" . (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
