What started the Egyptian Revolution?

The following is an account of what started the uprising against the government of Egypt, which lead to the mass demonstrations and the eventually ousting of President of Egypt after 30 years of rule.  

Background Story

Khaled… A story of many Egyptians.   
Khaled Said, a 28-year-old Egyptian from the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, was tortured to death at the hands of two police officers. Several eye witnesses described how Khalid was taken by the two policemen into the entrance of a residential building where he was brutally punched and kicked. The two policemen banged his head against the wall, the staircase and the entrance steps. Despite his calls for mercy and asking them why they are doing this to him, they continued their torture until he died according to many eye witnesses.   
Khaled has become the symbol for many Egyptians who dream to see their country free of brutality, torture and ill treatment. Many young Egyptians are now fed up with the inhuman treatment they face on a daily basis in streets, police stations and everywhere. Egyptians want to see an end to all violence committed by any Egyptian Policeman. Egyptians are aspiring to the day when Egypt has its freedom and dignity back, the day when the current 30 years long emergency martial law ends and when Egyptians can freely elect their true representatives.  
According to Associated Press, Khaled was killed “after he posted a video on the Internet of officers sharing the spoils from a drug bust among themselves”. After Khaled was killed, the Police authorities refused to investigate in Khaled’s death saying that he died because he swallowed a pack of Marijuana. When many Egyptians started to ask questions, the Police issued few statements saying that Khaled was a drug user (as if it is ok to murder and torture to death all drug addicts! – And everyone who knew khaled reject these claims completely). Another official statement said that Khaled is an army deserter (which was also proved to be false accusation afterwards and his army service report is now published showing that he has fully completed this service). The authorities then refused any further investigation. After pressure mounted, and the European Union representatives in Egypt asked for an impartial investigation, the Egyptian authorities finally decided to question and arrest the two Policemen and they were charged with two counts: “using excessive force”!!! and “unjustified arrest”!! of Khaled Said.. No one was charged with murder!  
The second official autopsy report now says that Khaled has cuts and bruises which “might be” because of hitting solid objects! The first official autospy report did NOT record any of the clear wounds, cuts and bruises on Khaled’s face.
We will let you see Khaled’s photos before and after the attack and let you judge yourselves: Does the following photos show that Khaled really died from swallowing something or was he killed from the banging of his head against several solid objects and the kicking and punching by the two policemen and as the many eye witnesses confirmed?  
Image of Khalid before the attack:   
       
Image of Khalid after the attack:   

Khalid Said after his torture to death

Eye witnesses include the Internet Cafe owner who saw the two Policemen arresting Khaled, the residential building keeper (guard/bawab) & his wife, a pharmacist who tried to intervene and stop the torture, a teenager who watched the policemen while they were hitting him in the building entrance and many by standers. Fully documented video interviews with eye witnesses are available on this post here on our website (witness accounts are all in Arabic). Many more videos of eye witnesses are posted on Youtube.

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Mubarek OUT !! The Military is IN (at least for now)

All because of one Google executive named Wael Ghonim, the resistance to Hosni Mubarak became a monumental front that Mubarak could not overcome.

So why did the revolution start in the first place to overturn Hosni Mubarek after 30 years of power?

Besides the idea that the people of Egypt wanted a new leader and it was time for change, the Google executive Wael Ghonim wrote on his Facebook page two weeks before the uprising as he shouted for democracy and wrote his article called "We are all Khaled Said," which was his anti-Mubarek page. He was voicing his resentment  in memory of an Egyptian man beaten to death by police in June.
The Egyptian government tried to hush Ghonim, as on January 27th, 2011, on the 3rd day of the protests, he was picked up while he was on his way home by plainclothes security. On Monday, February 7th, he was released and quickly realized that was started out of a small public uprising turned into a major public uprising. Quickly the actions of the Egyptians became known on a National front, and at first, most foreign governments including the United States thought that President Mubarek could control the uprising and put the unrest to sleep. That was the farthest from the truth, as larger demonstrations in Tahrir Square took place, even during the times of a curfew set by President Mubarek. All businesses, all banks and all social services were stopped in their tracks. There was not internet, power services were terminated and the country was now crippled. The people of Egypt had now vowed to continue with the protests until Hosni Mubarek was out of power. Originally he did agree to leave, but wanted to stay into power until at least September or October, when regular elections would take place, but the people would have nothing of it.  Instead they would have nothing more of President Mubarek. Eventually he had resigned his Presidency on February 11 2011, and at the present time, the Higher Council of the Armed Forces taking control following 18 days of protests challenging his thirty-year rule.  is governing the country. It is unknown as to how log Egypt will be without an elected leader, but with Mubarek now gone, most likely an emergency vote by the people may turn out to get a new leader in place before September.

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