CAIRO - Tens of thousands of Egyptians gathered in central Cairo's Tahrir Square for another Friday of mass protests to celebrate one month since the uprising began and to call for reform. The protesters, who successfully forced Hosny Mubarak to resign after nearly 30 years in power, also want to see his appointed prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, removed from his post. The thousands gathered in Tahrir Square and in other Egyptian cities ignored calls by the military, now in control of the country, to halt protests. The army has argued that such gatherings disrupt the stability of the country and the reform process. Activists have been calling on 1 million people to continue gathering in Cairo's 'liberation' square every Friday until their demands are met. As part of their promise to carry out reform, the armed forces appointed 10 new ministers this week, including independents and members of smaller parties. But protesters also want to see the removal of the current prime minister, a former air force general with close ties to the ruling elite. Many Egyptians are also calling for the army to release political prisoners amid allegations that the military police has tortured detainees. And they want to see an end to a 28-year-long controversial emergency law that allows the government nearly unfettered powers to arrest people and ban protests. Friday's demonstration follows clashes Thursday in the upscale Cairo neighbourhood of Maadi, where a police officer allegedly shot a minibus driver after a heated argument.
