Activists in Alexandria are calling for a protest on Tuesday in solidarity with Hassan Mostafa, an activist who was sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting a ministry of justice official.

Mostafa was arrested on 21 January after attempting to file a complaint with the Alexandrian attorney general about the absence of lawyers for the dozens of detainees arrested on 20 January during a protest.

Mostafa was charged with physically attacking and verbally abusing a prosecutor while attempting to file his complaint.

According to activist Mahinour El-Masry, a friend of Mostafa and an eyewitness to his arrest, the charges are false.

“The beating part never happened,” El-Masry told Ahram Online.

El-Masry added that this is not the first time Mostafa has been detained based on false accusations.

“He spent a month in prison during the time of Mubarak. They accused him of assaulting a policeman during a protest in solidarity with a kidnapped activist in 2010,” said El-Masry.

The solidarity protest will be held in front of the Alexandria court. Another protest organised by students at Alexandria University will also be held to denounce the verdict.