The army has promised to simply lead the country to civilian rule, starting with the adoption of an amended constitution that paves the way for the election of a new parliament, president and, eventually, a new constitution.

Emergency law

But the much anticipated rule of law remains, at least for now, elusive. Emergency law, which has allowed for countless abuses over the decades, remains in place. And the army's attempts to downplay it have been less than reassuring.

Military Council member General Mamdouh Shahin said this week that "emergency law is merely a title."

The point of rule of law, of course, is that nothing surpasses it.

Publisher and long time dissident Kassem says in some ways, that's fine. The army, he says, should not be the one making the legal and political changes that will determine Egypt's future. "Once we talk about a civilian government being voted in, I have no doubt that in the future such practices will not be tolerated," said Kassem.

Many here feel the army is eager to return to its role behind the scenes and let a democratically-elected government take charge. Back in the barracks, the military can bask in the general goodwill of the populace, something running the day-to-day affairs of the country threatens to jeopardize.

But that still leaves the interim, and the concerns of people like rights worker Morayef. "This needs to be taken extremely seriously, both by the civil society and the media, but also by the military to ensure that it does not occur once again, since the military will remain deployed in the streets over the major cities of Egypt for many more months to come," said Morayef.