During 18 extraordinary days in early 2011, millions of Egyptians rose up against police brutality, poverty and the relentless repression of their basic freedoms, and ended up ousting the President. Most of the protests were peaceful, yet the authorities’ response was not. At least 840 people were killed and around 6,500 were injured. Thousands were detained and many allegedly tortured by the security forces or the army. This report describes why and how the “25 January revolution” unfolded, and the patterns of repression by security forces.