Egypt Activist Gets 2 Years for Prosecutor Slap

An Egyptian activist who led protests over an iconic torture victim during the rule of Hosni Mubarak was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison for allegedly slapping a prosecutor.

The activist, Hassan Mostafa, denied the charge, and his lawyer called the case a malicious prosecution. Activists rallied outside the court Tuesday demanding his release.

The prosecutor accused Mostafa of slapping him during an argument over the whereabouts of protesters arrested during a January rally in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. Mostafa’s lawyer, Hamdy Khalaf, said Tuesday he was present during the argument and that the slap never took place.

Mostafa, 31, was a lead organizer of protests over the case of Khaled Said, a young man tortured to death by police in 2010. The death became a rallying cry for protesters that in part led to the uprising that toppled Mubarak in February 2011.

The same prosecutor investigated Mostafa during the 2010 anti-torture protests, leading to Mostafa being sentenced to a month in prison for fighting with a policeman, Khalaf told The Associated Press.

Mohammed Salem, Mostafa’s brother, said the slapping case was brought because his brother has been a “headache” for authorities with his activism.

World time

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