One year after Egypt’s uprising

January 25 marks one year since Egyptians took to Tahrir Square demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down after nearly 30 years in power. Although he was ousted 18 days later, many question whether the uprising has been successful.

Following Mubarak’s departure, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) took power, leading to severe clampdowns on street demonstrations and political dissent. Under the SCAF’s governance and martial law, there have been 11,879 cases of civilians tried in military courts, six times more than during Mubarak’s rule.

On October 9, protesters called for the dissolution of SCAF, which resulted in a military standoff and clashes that caused dozens of deaths through December.

Egypt is now in the process of instituting civilian rule. The recent parliamentary elections saw a high voter turnout, few reports of corruption, and Islamist parties winning a majority of the vote.

The de facto head of state Mohamed Hussein Tantawi announced that the Mubarak-era State Emergency Law would be lifted on Jan 25, 2012. SCAF is calling Wednesday a day of national celebration while many opposition groups have deemed it a day of protest. Those groups are calling on the military to transfer power to civilian authorities.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak to Maged Maher Gabra (@magedmgabra), co-founder of the Egyptian Initiative to Protect the Gains of the Revolution, and Gigi Ibrahim (@Gsquare86) based in Cairo.

What do you think? Is #Jan25 a day of celebration or protest? Send us your thoughts and comments on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #AJStream.