Al-Jazeera marks producer's 1,000 days in Egyptian jail

DOHA, Qatar: Qatar's Al-Jazeera broadcaster marked 1,000 days on Thursday since its producer Mahmoud Hussein was detained in Egypt following accusations of incitement against the state and spreading false news.

State-funded Al-Jazeera has been caught up in the political rift between Cairo and Doha following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was backed by Qatar.

Staff at the network marked the milestone by wearing badges and T-shirts calling for Hussein's release, as well as gathering in the newsroom of the flagship Arabic channel during live broadcasting.

"His family needs to know that we are supporting him and we are with him and we are not going to forget him. We keep fighting until he is out," Al-Jazeera Media Network acting director general Mostefa Souag told AFP.

"It doesn´t seem that the Egyptian government listens to reason or to the law or to the rules of the constitution itself." Al-Jazeera is seen by Egypt's government as a mouthpiece for Morsi's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. Access to its website has been blocked in Egypt since 2017.

Hussein was arrested during a personal visit to Cairo in late December 2016 and charged with several crimes. Prosecutors ordered his release in May, but a week later he was hit with another set of charges and detained once again. Shortly after Morsi's removal by the military in 2013, authorities arrested three other Al-Jazeera journalists.