Crushing The Fledgling Democracy - July 3rd 2025

July 3rd 2025

Yuriy recounts a harrowing experience in Cairo during the mass protests against the ruling authorities in Egypt on July 3rd, 2013. He covers the arrest of President Mohamed Morsi, the dangers faced by journalists and foreigners, and the tragic events surrounding the military dispersal of the pro-Morsi encampment at Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque.

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TRANSCRIPT: (Apple Podcasts & Podbean app users can enjoy accurate closed captions)  

It is July 3rd,

12 years ago, around this very day, I woke up drenched in sweat from the stiffing heat in a small hotel room overlooking RI square in Cairo, mass protests against the ruling authorities were unfolding in the Egyptian capital. The day before I had spent time near a military compound on Nasr Street, where the country's president, Mohamed Morsi, recently arrested by the military who had supposedly suddenly sided with the protestors had been brought.

I got back to the hotel quite late. Public transport had come to a halt, and taxi drivers were too afraid to take foreigners since revolutionary checkpoints had sprung up throughout the city. At those makeshift barricades, foreigners were treated as potential enemies.

Morsi had already been held for several days inside the military base near the small Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque. A massive crowd of his supporters had gathered outside. Staying where over time was extremely difficult. I had to prepare and send articles about the situation in Cairo, which was nearly impossible from a tent camp with no electricity or stable internet.

That's when my local colleague, Ahmed Samir Assem stepped in, we agreed to take 10 to 12 hour shifts replacing each other so that both of us would have time to work on our stories and get some rest. If the situation about Rabaa al-Adiwiya began to escalate, the one on shift was supposed to immediately call the other.

Ahmed never called me.

I went down to the nearly empty hotel cafeteria that morning intending to grab a quick breakfast, but I never got to eat. The TV was blaring at full volume with breaking news. On the screen was Ahmed's photo, black and white.

The voiceover reported that he had been killed about an hour early after the military began dispersing the pro-Morsi encampment.

I rushed to Rabaa al-Adawiya. The mosque was on fire. Human bodies were scattered everywhere- dozens, maybe even hundreds. It was impossible to retrieve the dead or wounded anyone who approached the destroyed camp was shot from the fence surrounding the military base.

To this day, no one knows the true number of people killed. At least a thousand, possibly several times more.

Morsi died in prison a few years later, his closest allies were executed, fled the country, or were sentenced to long prison terms.

Mohamed Morsi was not a Democrat, but he was elected president in the first and so far only free and fair elections in Egypt's history.

In 2011, a popular revolution had forced his predecessor Hosni Mubarak to resign after nearly three decades of authoritarian rule. 

Morsi and his Islamist supporters were not the main force or even one of the main forces behind with revolution, but the

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
It is July 3rd,
12 years ago, around this very day,I woke up drenched in sweat from the
stiffing heat in a small hotel roomoverlooking RI square in Cairo, mass
protests against the ruling authoritieswere unfolding in the Egyptian capital.
The day before I had spent time neara military compound on Nasr Street,

(00:26):
where the country's president, MohamedMorsi, recently arrested by the military
who had supposedly suddenly sidedwith the protestors had been brought.
I got back to the hotel quite late.
Public transport had come to a halt,and taxi drivers were too afraid to take
foreigners since revolutionary checkpointshad sprung up throughout the city.

(00:49):
At those makeshift barricades, foreignerswere treated as potential enemies.
Morsi had already been held for severaldays inside the military base near
the small Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque.
A massive crowd of hissupporters had gathered outside.
Staying where over timewas extremely difficult.

(01:09):
I had to prepare and send articlesabout the situation in Cairo, which
was nearly impossible from a tent campwith no electricity or stable internet.
That's when my local colleague, AhmedSamir Assem stepped in, we agreed to take
10 to 12 hour shifts replacing each otherso that both of us would have time to

(01:32):
work on our stories and get some rest.
If the situation about Rabaa al-Adiwiyabegan to escalate, the one on shift was
supposed to immediately call the other.
Ahmed never called me.
I went down to the nearly empty hotelcafeteria that morning intending to grab

(01:53):
a quick breakfast, but I never got to eat.
The TV was blaring at fullvolume with breaking news.
On the screen was Ahmed'sphoto, black and white.
The voiceover reported that hehad been killed about an hour
early after the military begandispersing the pro-Morsi encampment.

(02:14):
I rushed to Rabaa al-Adawiya.
The mosque was on fire.
Human bodies were scattered everywhere-dozens, maybe even hundreds.
It was impossible to retrieve thedead or wounded anyone who approached
the destroyed camp was shot from thefence surrounding the military base.
To this day, no one knows thetrue number of people killed.

(02:37):
At least a thousand,possibly several times more.
Morsi died in prison a few yearslater, his closest allies were
executed, fled the country, or weresentenced to long prison terms.
Mohamed Morsi was not a Democrat,but he was elected president in
the first and so far only free andfair elections in Egypt's history.

(03:00):
In 2011, a popular revolutionhad forced his predecessor Hosni
Mubarak to resign after nearlythree decades of authoritarian rule.
Morsi and his Islamist supporterswere not the main force or even
one of the main forces behind withrevolution, but they were quick to
seize its momentum for their own game.

(03:22):
Morsi made populist promises what wereclearly impossible to fulfill immediately.
He could not eradicate corruption.
He could not quickly end povertyeven though he promised to.
He placed his hope in divineintervention and said so openly.
The military, many of whom benefiteddirectly from that entrenched corruption,

(03:47):
tolerated his reform efforts, his fightagainst illegal businesses, and his
genuine religious devotion for two years.
Then they crushed Egypt's fledgelingdemocracy, along with a beautiful
little mosque of Rabaa ad-Adawiya.
The mosque incidentally, was later rebuiltwith funds from the Ministry of Defense.

(04:09):
It is now, so to speak, themilitaries "own" mosque.
Democracy, however, noone has tried to rebuild.
One of Ahmed's relatives sought justicefor journalists murderers, but had to
flee the country after receiving threats.
Ahmed's fiance wore mourningclothes for several years then

(04:31):
eventually married someone else.
It's all supposed to be in the past.
And yet every year in early July,I feel a familiar a gnawing fear.
And I suddenly recall the burned mosqueand the hundreds of corpses around it.