Hundreds of thousands of people streamed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square Jan. 25, the first anniversary of the mobilizations that helped topple then-president Hosni Mubarak, opening political space for workers and farmers to advance their interests.

Egypt’s ruling military government declared the day a national holiday. Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafist movement, mobilized their supporters. The Brotherhood, which won close to a majority in the new People’s Assembly, has refused to join calls for the military regime to immediately step down.

Some organizations, including many that joined the protests a year ago, organized feeder marches, pressing for an immediate or at least quicker end to military rule. Some 12,000 people have been hauled before military tribunals since Mubarak’s ouster.

On Jan. 24 the military government announced it was ending Mubarak’s infamous emergency law, which allowed unrestricted police detention. However, the military exempted cases of “thuggery,” a term they have used to smear opponents.

—JOHN STUDER