An Al Jazeera journalist has been summoned to attend a hearing at the Egyptian Supreme State Security court, Hussein Abdel Ghani, the network's Cairo bureau chief, said.

Howayda Taha had been in Cairo working on a documentary about citizen complaints of police harassment, mistreatment and torture in Egypt and other Arab states.
 
"She was surprised to find an officer knock on her hotel door on Friday afternoon and deliver the court summons," Abdel Ghani said.

"She appeared before the court on [Saturday] morning but we have no details on the charges against her."

Taha, an Egyptian producer for Al Jazeera's Arabic language channel, was planning to leave the country on January 8 after completing her reporting, but was stopped at Cairo International Airport and told she was not allowed to travel.

Airport authorities confiscated 50 tapes, video recorder, her personal computer and books, saying that they would return the items 48 hours later.

"The tapes and her computer have not yet been returned," Abdel Ghani said.

Human rights groups have complained of the existence of the Supreme State Security court in Egypt, saying its procedures often violate internationally recognised fair trial norms.

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