Alexandrian political activist Hassan Mustafa was sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday. He was arrested on 21 January, accused of physically attacking a prosecutor. Hamdy Khalaf, Mustafa's lawyer and one of the witnesses who testified in court, said: “We were surprised with the verdict. It is an insult to lawyers.” Khalaf, alongside two other lawyers, testified in court denying that Mustafa attacked prosecutor Ahmed Darwish in their presence. “Darwish's medical report stated that he suffers from ‘a reddened left cheek'," Khalaf said, adding that the report is not proof that Mustafa slapped Darwish. “The problem is not with the medical report; it's with the prosecutor's false accusations. This reflects all that is wrong with the Egyptian prosecution system.” Khalaf stated that the verdict will be appealed. Mahienour El-Massry, a political activist in Alexandria, said that protesters are gathering outside Al-Mansheya Court. El-Massry was with Mustafa during the incident when he allegedly attacked Darwish. “There's going to be a protest condemning the verdict,” she said. “People are already rallying up.” Mustafa allegedly slapped Darwish after going with three human rights lawyers and three activists to the Al-Mansheya Court Complex on 21 January to check on detained protesters arrested after clashes that followed the trial of police officers accused of killing protesters on 25 January. He is also facing charges of smuggling detainees and inciting violence in Al-Mansheya. He has gone on hunger strike twice in protest over his detention. Mustafa is a well-known activist in Alexandria. He was first arrested on 6 April 2008, during a demonstration supporting the Mahalla workers' strike. Additional reporting by Sara Abou Bakr
