Egyptian authorities on Wednesday extended [Al Jazeera report] the detention of Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein by four days. Hussein was arrested on December 20. His detention was originally supposed to expire on January 4 and January 19, but his arrest was extended 15 days each time. Egypt’s interior minister has accused him of “incitement against state institutions and broadcasting false news with the aim of spreading chaos.” Hussein has been employed by Al Jazeera since 2011. His defense team has stated that Hussein has so far been denied his right to contact his lawyers. Al Jazeera has rejected all of the accusations against Hussein and has asked that he be immediately released. At the end of this four-day extension, he will be held for a total of 48 days since his initial arrest. Hussein has been video tapped discrediting an Al Jazeera documentary on the Egyptian army. Al Jazeera states that this video was completed under duress. Seven Al Jazeera employees have been arrested since 2013, and 25 journalists are currently being detained in Egypt.

Egypt [BBC timeline] has been internationally scrutinized in recent months over its many human rights infringements and free speech violations. Of particular concern with Egypt’s constitutional and human rights is the prosecution and imprisonment of journalists by the Egyptian government, which has garnered widespread criticism from governments and rights groups worldwide. In April UN human rights experts raised [JURIST report] concerns over the Egyptian crackdown on human rights defenders. In March Egyptian Justice Minister Ahmed al-Zind was relieved of his position after he stated that he would even imprison the Prophet Mohammed in response a question regarding the imprisonment of journalists. In January 2016 non-governmental organizations issued a joint statement [JURIST report] to the Egyptian parliament giving recommendations to ensure the enforcement of constitutional and human rights. In December 2015 Egyptian lawyer Nasser Aminchallenged a law [JURIST report] that allows writers to be jailed for writings that violate Egyptian “morals.”