Egyptian security forces have detained the entire newsroom of the independent fact-checking platform Matsadaash, with one journalist now facing formal charges of spreading false information and joining a terrorist group. The six staff members—Abdallah Qadri, Mohamed Ashraf, Mohamed Adel, Islam Barakat, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Omar Helal—were taken into custody over a two-day period. The name of their outlet, Matsadaash, translates to “don’t believe.” Last week, authorities arrested six journalists from the independent fact-checking and investigative platform Matsadaash – literally meaning “don’t believe” – accusing them in a statement of being unlicensed and publishing false news on behalf of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The rights group said, the charges came after an interrogation that lasted from 10pm to 8am and focused exclusively on material published by Matsadaash. They deserve recognition for their work. Instead, their homes were raided, and all six were taken away,” he said. “The government must answer this question: why have you arrested six journalists.
Following an interrogation session that stretched from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., authorities officially charged Mohamed Ashraf on Sunday. He has been ordered to remain in detention for 15 days pending further investigation. While Ashraf’s legal status has been disclosed, the current locations and conditions of his five colleagues remain unknown to their families and legal representatives.
Co-founder Abdelrahman Mansour has rejected accusations that the platform maintains ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Egyptian government labeled a terrorist organization following the 2013 ouster of president Mohamed Morsi. Mansour condemned the crackdown as a grave assault on the profession, asserting that the team was simply engaged in fact-finding and difficult journalistic inquiry. The Egyptian State Information Service has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the arrests. The co-founder of the platform, denied having any association with the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational movement that was designated a terrorist organisation by Egypt in 2013 after the former president Mohamed Morsi, a senior Brotherhood figure, was ousted in a coup, abdelrahman Mansour. Mansour called the arrests “one of the gravest attacks on journalism in Egypt’s modern history”.
Public outcry has grown quickly, with local journalists organizing an open-ended sit-in at the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate in Cairo to demand the release of their colleagues. The Syndicate has formally petitioned both the Ministry of Interior and the public prosecutor for information about the detainees and their immediate liberation. More than 80 international and domestic advocacy organizations, including Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists, have also issued urgent calls for the group’s freedom. “My colleagues were doing what journalists should do: asking difficult questions, uncovering facts, and reporting on issues that affect people’s lives.
These arrests follow a controversial move by the United States to waive human rights requirements for $320 million in military aid allocated to Egypt. While Washington traditionally ties portions of its $1.3 billion annual aid package to human rights benchmarks, a recent State Department memo stated that the full waiver was essential to U.S.-Egypt relations and national security. Critics like Mansour argue that such international leniency creates an environment where government abuses occur with greater ease.
The current climate for media in Egypt remains among the most restrictive in the world, with the country ranking 169th out of 180 on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom index. Estimates from the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate suggest that approximately 26 journalists are currently held in state custody. Since President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi assumed power, rights monitors such as Freedom House have frequently reported on the systemic use of extrajudicial measures and the ongoing suppression of independent voices.
