Egyptian security forces have arbitrarily arrested the entire editorial team of Matsadaash, one of the country’s few independent investigative media outlets, without providing any warrants.
The six journalists have been forcibly disappeared since their arrests, with authorities refusing to disclose their whereabouts or any criminal charges against them, while denying their families and lawyers the right to communicate with them.
“Dismantling an entire newsroom in a matter of hours without warning or cause sends a chilling message to all journalists working in Egypt and shows just how little space is left there for critical reporting,” said Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
Egypt is one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, with at least 25 journalists currently behind bars, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The arrests of the Matsadaash journalists highlight longstanding restrictions on freedom of expression and the repression faced by independent journalists in Egypt.
More than 80 organizations worldwide have condemned the arrests & called for the release of the six journalists.
Home Raids and Arrests Without Warrants
The arrests began late Monday, September 28, when security forces raided the home of Abdallah Qadry. Authorities subsequently raided the home of Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira in the early hours of Tuesday, followed by the arrests of Islam Barakat and Omar Helal at their homes. Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel were arrested on a Cairo street.
Authorities also confiscated the electronic devices belonging to the journalists.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) said plainclothes security personnel raided the journalists’ homes and refused to provide search warrants. They also confiscated electronic devices belonging to family members and others living in the journalists’ homes.
EIPR, which is providing legal representation for the six journalists, demanded that authorities disclose the journalists’ locations and the reasons for their arrests. It also called for immediate access to lawyers and family members.
“Our journalists deserve recognition for their work. Instead, they have been held for more than 72 hours, their whereabouts unknown, without access to their families or our lawyers... We demand to know where they are, insist on their right to contact their families and lawyers, and call for their immediate release,” said Abdelrahman Mansour, co-founder of Matsadaash.
Fabricated Accusations to Justify Repression and Censorship
The Interior Ministry on Thursday accused the outlet of “fabricating news” & having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood but did not specify what criminal charges the journalists face.
Matsadaash published a fact-check debunking each of the government’s claims, rejecting accusations that the outlet is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, operates from abroad, or receives foreign funding.
Egyptian authorities routinely use allegations of Muslim Brotherhood ties to target critics, journalists, and activists. Egypt designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization in 2013 after the military ousted then-President Mohamed Morsi, a senior Brotherhood figure.
“No journalist at Matsadaash is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, and no journalist working at Matsadaash has any connection to any political organization inside or outside Egypt. Making such accusations without providing any evidence not only damages Matsadaash’s reputation; it also casts doubt on the professionalism of Egyptian journalists who openly practice their profession,” Matsadaash said in a statement, rejecting the government’s accusations against its journalists.
Not the First Time Authorities Have Targeted Matsadaash
In 2023, a Matsadaash editor was violently arrested at his home without a warrant and held for 48 hours over similar allegations after the outlet published a major investigation. During the raid, officers logged into Matsadaash’s Facebook and deleted two posts.
Three of the journalists now detained were also investigated, but authorities found no evidence linking them to the Muslim Brotherhood or any other political group, or that they had received foreign funding.
Founded in 2018 by Egyptian journalists, Matsadaash, which means “Don’t Believe It” in Arabic, focuses on fact-checking and investigative reporting. Its website is blocked in Egypt, but its Facebook page has more than one million followers.