Victory! Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Resigns

by Benjamin Joffe-Walt · 2011-02-11 09:44:00 UTC
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Two weeks ago Gigi and Mahmoud, two young Egyptian street activists and Change.org members, called on people all over the world to join their campaign for democracy in Egypt. You answered their call, along with tens of thousands of others from more than 120 countries.

Now we have incredible news: Gigi, Mahmoud and the “Peoples Revolution” have won! Minutes ago Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, handing power over to a military-led transitional government which will run the country until elections take place in a few months. In just 18 days, a coalition of Muslims and Christians, young, old, rich and poor came together to bring down a dictatorship of 30 years.

YES!

Five minutes ago we spoke with both Gigi and Mahmoud, who are literally jumping up and down in Cairo’s Liberation Square:

“I’m the happiest person alive and I can’t stop crying,” Gigi said. “I’m here in the square and it’s on fire! It’s just amazing. I went against the grain for so long and I even lost my family at one point because of all my activism - for the first time I feel like I did something right.”

“Thank you thank you thank you,” she added. “We could not have done it without the international solidarity, both from so many Change.org members and people in countries all over the world. I hope all of humanity is feeling the way Egyptians are feeling today.”

“I’m feeling so good,” Mahmoud said. “There is just so much happiness in the streets. People are literally jumping up and down. Everyone is jubilant and I just want to thank all of you so very much. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”

This is, of course, only the beginning. The most populous country in the Arab world and a major US ally, it is incredibly important that the revolutionary momentum built up over the past two weeks lead to the building of peaceful, accountable and inclusive democratic institutions. That is not going to happen overnight and it is not going to happen without ongoing public pressure.

But winning these campaigns depends on our ability to quickly call on thousands of supportive folks like you. So, If you can, please follow us on Facebook - just click ‘Like’ at the top of the page: https://www.facebook.com/humanrights.change.org

Thanks again so much for taking action!

Benjamin Joffe-Walt is a Change.org editor. He is an award-winning journalist and has written extensively on human rights issues in the US, Africa and the Middle East.

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Support the People's Revolution in Egypt ساند ثورة الشعب في مصر
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