Egypt extends detention of al-Jazeera journalist

While in detention, Hussein has alleged that he has been mistreated, denied visits from family, prevented from contacting his lawyer and been held in solitary confinement, his employers reported.

He was arrested at his home in Cairo on December 23 without charge.

Previously, Hussein had been accused of "incitement against state institutions and broadcasting false news with the aim of spreading chaos".

"Al-Jazeera deems all accusations against Hussein, including those which might be added later to the current allegations, to be a result of practices which violate international norms and conventions, and which, unfortunately, prevail in Egypt as exposed by human rights organisations," the news network said in a statement.

The Doha-based media outlet added that Hussein, who resides in Qatar, was in Egypt for a holiday.

Following Hussein's detention, his two brothers were also arrested and their homes raided. Both have since been released.

Last month, al-Jazeera released a controversial documentary about Egyptian conscripts claiming to be mistreated while serving their compulsory military service.

But the network's Managing Director Yasser Abu Hilala has ruled out the possibility that Hussein was arrested over the documentary film.

In recent years, Egypt has arrested and brought charges against several employees of al-Jazeera, which is currently banned in Egypt.

Last May, death penalties were recommended for Ibrahim Helal and Alaa Mohammed Sablan by a Cairo court. The pair were charged in absentia with endangering national security. 

In 2013, ten employees of the company were accused of spreading "false news" while covering public demonstrations against trhe military coup that removed President Mohammed Morsi.

Of the ten, only three - Baher Mohamed, Mohamed Fahmy and Peter Greste - were detained.  Greste was held in prison for over a year, while Mohamed and Fahmy spent 437 days in detention before they were released.

Since the overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected preident in 2013, the country's government has cracked down on press freedoms and tightly controlled media output.

In 2016, authorities also arrested members of Egypt's press syndicate, sentencing leading members of the association to two years in prison.