Photos by Amr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters

A demonstrator carries a portrait of Egyptian Khaled Said on the second anniversary of Said's death in Cairo on June 6, 2012. Said, 28, was beaten to death by police in Alexandria in June 2010 after he posted a video showing police officers sharing the spoils of a drugs bust, according to his family. The act of brutality galvanized further protests, in particular, the anti-torture Facebook page

A demonstrator stands in silence over Qasr El Nile bridge on the second anniversary of Khaled Said's death in Cairo. The words read "Khaled is not happy, down with military rule."

The Associated Press reports:

Tens of thousands of political prisoners suffered torture under Hosni Mubarak's 29-year rule. Virtually all the abuses perpetrated under Mubarak's regime have gone unpunished.

One of the extreme cases of brutality ended in the death of 28-year-old Khaled Said, in Alexandria. Beaten to death by two police officers in June 2010, his name became a rallying call of the uprising. "We are all Khalid Said," was the name of the Facebook group that helped organize the early protests.

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Amr Nabil / AP

Egyptians celebrate as they hear the verdict over a car radio on ousted president Hosni Mubarak outside the police academy courtroom in Cairo, Egypt, June 2.

Reuters

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sits inside a cage in a courtroom in Cairo June 2.

Egypt's ousted ruler Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison Saturday for complicity in the killings of protesters who eventually overthrew him. He could have received the death penalty.

Presiding judge Ahmed Refaat also sentenced his former interior minister, Habib el-Adli, to life in prison on the same charge. But Mubarak's two sons -- Gamal and Alaa -- were acquitted on corruption charges.   

Scuffles broke out in the Cairo courtroom between supporters and opponents of the former president after the verdicts were announced.

Read the full story.

Mohammed Salem / Reuters

Supporters of deposed president Hosni Mubarak react after a court sentenced him to life in prison, outside the police academy where the court is located in Cairo, June 2.

Mohammed Salem / Reuters

Protesters demonstrate after a court sentenced deposed president Hosni Mubarak to life in prison at Tahrir Square in Cairo, June 2.

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Ron Haviv, one of several photojournalists working in Cairo whom we've been following this week, witnessed the crowd's reaction to Pres. Hosni Mubarak's speech announcing again that he was not stepping down, but handing power to his vice president. "Not speaking Arabic...I was trying to understand what he was saying by reading faces."

Ron Haviv / VII

Egyptians gather in Tahir Square and celebrate based on rumors that President Mubarak will step down.

In anticipation of the speech, protesters were celebrating in the square (shown above). But as the speech started, despite a crowd of tens of thousands, the square turned remarkably quiet. The tone of the speech was soon clear to him as he saw dismay, disappointment and even tears in the eyes of the crowd as they watched. "The look of utter surprise...by that point, they had really convinced themselves that Mubarek would say he was going to leave."

After the speech, the noise and anger swelled. Shoes were held up, an insult in the Arab world, and the crowd quickly returned to the chants of the past two weeks of protests calling for regime change.

Ron Haviv / VII

Egyptians gather in Tahir Square and react to President Mubarak's speech.

As he left the square to file his images, he sensed in the crowd a nervous anticipation for tomorrow. "People were saying that the speech is probably going to inflame both sides. They felt the Mubarak regime was trying to get them to be violent to discredit them...and they don't know if they're going to be able to control everyone to be peaceful." Cell phones started ringing, calling protesters back to guard their neighborhoods, fearing a return to the violence that occurred late last week.

Earlier in the day, Haviv recalled a bright moment. "It very rarely rains in Cairo. Today the skies opened up for a few moments. People were looking at this as a blessing from God. They started to pray and chant. They really thought that this was a sign that something good was going to happen."

See images from three weeks of protests

Photojournalist David Degner and journalist Egyptian Mohamed Abdelfattah just returned from Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt where tens of thousands of anti-democracy protesters are gathered asking for President Hosni Mubarak to step down from power.

The journalists were concerned about staying in square because of the intense crowding. “It’s really overcrowded, it feels like there is no oxygen in the air.”

Mohamed was working as a videographer, covering the protests in Alexandria. But three days ago, he traveled to Cairo because he wanted to be part of history, to see the movement there in person.

“It’s a type of dream to see...a very amazing show of people power in recent weeks in a really modern and civilized way.”

He continued, "This type of revolution is the kind that we only hear about in history textbooks outside of Egypt…it’s surreal to us."

Of the mood in the square, he says: "You see all of Egypt in front of you – people from all sects and all types of workers.. It's really like a beautiful painting, you can’t speak about it, you just watch. That’s the kind of shock we are in."

David Degner / IncendiaryImage.com

Egyptian journalist turned protester Mohamed Abdelfattah

Following Pres. Hosni Mubarak's latest announcement saying he is going to remain as president but transfer power to his vice president Omar Suleiman, Egyptian Nevine Zaki expresses some of the outrage felt by the protest movement via Twitter:

How can u play with feelings like this? they should have a special feature 4 us in z Guiness Records about how heartless our government is!

Yup he poured more gasoline unto the fire!

Ron Haviv for msnbc.com

Photojournalist Ron Haviv texts from Tahrir Square: The mood is a mix of tense anticipation as news moves through the square – Mubarak will speak soon and most likely resign but the next steps are already on people’s mind – military or civilian and then what. But for now it seems people will be happy to celebrate the new beginning if and when it happens.

After hearing from several photojournalists that they didn't want to leave the square long enough to file images via their laptops from hotel or other Wifi connections for fear of missing news, I started asking them to send in cell phone images to fill the gap. He used his iPhone to capture this image.

Watch live video from Tahrir Square

View images from three weeks of protests

Photojournalist David Degner just left Tahrir Square. It took him about 30 minutes to walk 200 yards across the square because so many people are streaming into the square, waiting to hear a definitive announcement on the status of President Hosni Mubarak.

David Degner / IncendiaryImage.com

While it's been widely reported that he will announce today that he's stepping down, people in the square are waiting and watching to see if it's really going to happen.

David Degner / IncendiaryImage.com

Degner says there are moments of joy, as radio reports are broadcast about possible changes in the regime, but it's mostly a waiting game with musicians playing in the square to pass the time.

David Degner / IncendiaryImage.com

Watch live video from the square

See images from three weeks of protests

I caught up with Egyptian blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy today by phone. We've been excerpting his blog here in Photoblog for the past week. He has recently quit his job as a journalist and is participating in the anti-government protests full time. He described the air of cooperation that continues in Tahrir Square, the focal point of the protest movement.

Hossam el-Hamalawy

el-Hamalawy says while some protesters are maintaining their vigil in the square full time, others are making time in Tahrir Square a steady, but not constant part of their lives, coming and going around other obligations like work and family. He says there is a steady stream of supplies. When people join the protest they bring medical supplies, food and water to share, as seen in the photo above.

Hossam el-Hamalawy

He says a class rift is becoming more obvious, with divisions developing between upper and middle class Egyptians versus lower income and younger Egyptians. They are wary of how the protests and a possible regime shift will impact their finances, some of which depend on the status quo.

Hossam el-Hamalawy

el-Hamalawy says the protesters' camp is becoming more sophisticated, adding tarps and tents to rest under and tapping into electrical wires to recharge their mobile phones. They have entertainment to pass the time and keep morale high. Even barbers are at work in the square.

Hossam el-Hamalawy

He said while it's hard to know what's next as there’s no single protest leader to unify the movement, the next step is to hit the country's leaders financially by calling for a general strike. Imagine the effect of stopping shipping in the Suez Canal. The challenge is that workers’ unions were made illegal in Egypt decades ago, so there is little centralization to organize that kind of effort.

Since internet access was restored in Egypt earlier this week, we've been following self-described "Socialist journalist" Hossam el-Hamalawy's blog at http://www.arabawy.org. During the last two days, when news of violence dominated the headlines, he captured details that show an air of cooperation and solidarity that was maintained away from the clashes between opposing protesters and attacks on journalists.

Hossam el-Hamalawy

A protester distributes free cigarettes in Cairo, Egypt in a photo taken Feb. 3.

Hossam el-Hamalawy

Coptic Christians and Muslims unite in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt in an image uploaded to Flickr on Feb. 2.

Hossam el-Hamalawy

Graffiti on one of the buildings in Tahrir Square show protesters preferences for Twitter, Al-Jazeera and Facebook in a photo uploaded to Flickr on Feb. 3.

Hossam el-Hamalawy

U.S. citizens hold signs in support of the anti-government movement in an image uploaded to Flickr on Feb. 3.

Hossam el-Hamalawy

Drink vendors work in Tahrir Square. This image was uploaded Feb. 2.

 (headline quote by Sanford I. Weill)

Photojournalist Ron Haviv spent the day photographing the clashes in and around Tahrir Square in Cairo, working despite many reports of journalist being arrested, or worse, being attacked and having gear smashed by protesters or police. He said he was able to keep working by trying to avoid anyone who looked like an authority figure.

Haviv managed to leave the square safely by traveling in a pack of anti-government protesters, who helped him avoid being singled out by pro-government groups. Pro-government forces have been attacking journalists based on a perception that the media is sympathetic to the anti-government side.

He arrived safely at his hotel, but that’s when trouble began. The hotel staff took his camera gear, and the equipment of other journalists staying in the hotel. The hotel staffers said they were instituting a new policy that does not allow anyone to photograph from the building's balconies.

Despite the challenges, Haviv filed images from today. But will he work tomorrow? It’s not clear when or if he’ll get his gear back.

Ron Haviv / VII

For a moment, opposing protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square stop to talk, embrace and even cry in the midst of violent clashes between pro- and anti-Mubarak groups. But the moment was fleeting. Minutes later, the rock throwing began again.

Ron Haviv / VII

The moment of peace between the opposing sides was fleeting. Soon, someone lobbed another rock and "everything broke loose again," said photojournalist Ron Haviv.

Ron Haviv / VII

Protesters peek through a protective barrier between opposing protest groups. The Army separated the clashing groups for several hours at midday, but then fighing spilled into surrounding streets.

Ron Haviv / VII

Photojournalist Ron Haviv said clashes between opposing protest groups were less violent and numerous on Thursday than the day before. The anti-government protesters gained territory on Wednesday in part because there were fewer pro-Mubarak supporters on the scene.

Ron Haviv / VII

After two days and nights of clashes between government groups who are fighting over the continuing rule by the Hosni Mubarak regime, the streets are littered with rocks from clashes that overnight looked like a "medieval battle" according to photojournalist Ron Haviv.

 See more images from the unrest in Egypt

Stakes are rising in a perilous way for journalists covering protests in Cairo.

There have been widespread reports of journalists targeted, intimidated, detained and stripped of their gear during the 10th day of protests between pro- and anti-government groups.

Mohammed Abed / AFP - Getty Images

Injured Associated Press photographer Khalil Hanna retreats during clashes between anti-government demonstrators and their pro-government opponents in Cairo's Tahrir square on Thursday.

Photographers reported a string of attacks by Mubarak supporters near Tahrir Square, the scene of battles between supporters of Mubarak and protesters demanding he step down after nearly 30 years in power.

The Washington Post reported that its bureau chief and a photographer were among around two dozen journalists arrested by the interior ministry.

"We have heard from multiple witnesses that Leila Fadel, our Cairo bureau chief, and Linda Davidson, a photographer, were among two dozen journalists arrested this morning by the Egyptian Interior Ministry," the newspaper said on its website.

Sebastian Scheiner / AP

Press photographers, including Associated Press photographer Khalil Hamra, left, take cover as they work during clashes in Cairo on Thursday, Feb. 3. Another day of heavy gunfire and clashes erupted around dusk in Tahrir Square, while new looting and arson spread around the capital. Gangs of thugs supporting President Hosni Mubarak attacked reporters, foreigners, and human rights workers while the army rounded up foreign journalists.

Associated Press reporter Hadeel Al-Shalchi said in a Twitter message Thursday that two New York Times journalists had been arrested. He earlier issued a warning, saying "Journos be careful: they are out for us today." (Read more...)

The common thread in all reports out of Cairo suggest a pervasive tension between demonstrators and working journalists, which can be heard in a video posted after CNN's Anderson Cooper was attacked yesterday.

"The government has been sowing hatred among the people of Egypt against journalists," said David Degner, an American freelance photojouranlist who has lived in Cairo the past two years.

He knows of at least five fellow journalists who have been beaten, had cameras stolen, or have had enough and just want to go home. Last night a journalist was beaten up and had his cameras stolen outside the door to Degner's apartment in downtown Cairo.

Despite the hazards, he continues to photograph. "Calls from friends in trouble are more concerning than the actual protests or the rocks falling around me.”

Khalil Hamra / AP

Two foreign photographers take cover as they work to photograph clashes between protesters in downtown Cairo on Thursday, Feb. 3.

The Guardian reported that a Reuters television crew was beaten up early today close to Tahrir Square while filming a piece about shops and banks being forced to shut during the clashes.

If you're taking pictures in Cairo, let us know and upload them here. If you're seeing other notable images from events there, you can public message @msnbc_pictures on Twitter.

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