Egypt marks fifth anniversary of Arab Spring

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi paid tribute on Sunday to the country’s 2011 uprising that toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak.
El-Sissi said Egyptians “are building together a modern developed civilian state that upholds the values of democracy and freedom.”
El-Sissi delivered his remarks via a televised speech on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the uprising.
A recent spate of arrests and a heightened security presence in the capital Cairo have made clear Egyptian authorities’ determination that the occasion will not be marked by popular demonstrations or militant attacks.
El-Sissi, who came to office in 2014 after a landslide election win, also cautioned against high expectations for democracy and freedoms.
Under el-Sissi, rights activists say, the country’s highly militarized police have resumed the Mubarak-era practices that played a large part in igniting the uprising, including torture, random arrests and, more recently, forced disappearances.