Pretoria - Tens of thousands of Egyptians flocked on Wednesday to Tahrir Square in the capital Cairo to mark the first anniversary of the unrest that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak.
The protestors, from different political groups and places of the country, called for achieving social justice, fighting corruption and holding fast trials of former regime figures.
Other major cities such as Alexandria saw protests on Wednesday, a national holiday to mark the occasion. The protests were peaceful as of Wednesday evening. Some protestors shouted slogans against military rulers, while others supported the army.
In a speech on Wednesday, Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri praised those who have sacrificed their souls for the sake of the nation and for freedom, democracy and social justice. The protests, from January 25 to February 11 last year, left about 800 people dead and more than 6 000 injured.
Protests are common after the fall of Mubarak, which disturb economic recovery and deal a heavy blow to the tourism sector.
Egypt needs its citizens to work productively in different economic, service and social sectors so that they can harvest the fruits of fair distribution of national income, official MENA news agency quoted el-Ganzouri as saying.
"Fair punishment is what we all work on to give the rights of those heroes sacrificing their souls," Ganzouri said, urging the Egyptians to work in one line to implement their goals.
The trial of Mubarak over charges of corruption and ordering the killing of protestors began on August 3 last year and continues. If convicted, he will face the death penalty, state media reported.
Meanwhile, the situation in Libya's Bani Walid, where groups disagreed over issues related to the compensation of people affected by the 2011 Libya conflict, escalated and led to fatalities.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay voiced strong concerns over the human rights situation in Libya, urging "increased vigilance by and sustained assistance from the international community".
Pillay made the statement as she addressed an open meeting of the UN Security Council on Libya.
"At the same time, the human rights situation remains of concern and requires increased vigilance by and sustained assistance from the international community," Pillay said.
"Undoubtedly, immense challenges lie ahead."
She cited such examples as the "effective control" of Libya's interim National Transitional Council over the revolutionary brigades, which has human rights repercussions in a number of areas.
