Five years on, why do Egyptian authorities still fear January 25?
Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the January 25 Revolution, Egyptian authorities have taken tight security measures to deter any protests.
CAIRO — Five years after the outbreak of the January 25 Revolution in 2011, Egyptians are still dreaming of achieving the demands they raised during their revolution: bread, freedom and social justice. The successive governments and the current political administration have introduced major development projects aimed at gaining the trust of the people, yet the rates of poverty, unemployment, administrative corruption and the violation of freedoms continue to soar.
Al-Monitor spoke with three young activists who participated in the January 25 Revolution and its subsequent events. Each had his own story about emigration, imprisonment or loss of interest in public life. All three confirmed that the overall situation has become frustrating for the majority of those who took part in the revolution, as the country devolved into cycles of political conflicts that hindered the achievement of the revolution’s objectives.
