Egyptian authorities have arrested all six journalists working for independent fact-checking platform Matsadaash, accusing the outlet of operating without a licence, spreading false information and having links to the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
The arrests began late Monday and continued over the following 24 hours, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), which is representing the journalists. The six detainees make up the platform’s entire editorial team.
Egypt’s Interior Ministry confirmed the arrests on Thursday, saying authorities had identified an “unlicensed” online platform operated from abroad that it alleged published fabricated information and distorted facts.
The ministry accused Matsadaash of being connected to Muslim Brotherhood-linked media operations and alleged that the journalists provided material to Abdelrahman Mansour, one of the platform’s founders who lives outside Egypt, in return for foreign funding. It did not publicly provide evidence supporting the Brotherhood allegation.
Matsadaash rejected the accusations and denied affiliation with any political organisation.
The platform said it had repeatedly fact-checked and debunked false or misleading claims made by figures and outlets associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as statements by Egyptian officials and state institutions.
EIPR said security personnel raided the journalists’ homes in several governorates and confiscated electronic equipment. The group said the six had initially been held at undisclosed locations without access to their families or lawyers.
Among those detained were journalists Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Abdallah Qadry, Islam Barakat, Mohamed Adel, Mohamed Mahmoud and Omar Helal, according to local media reports.
The arrests have drawn criticism from journalists and rights organisations.
Mahmoud Kamel, a board member of Egypt’s Press Syndicate, said the journalists had been carrying out routine journalistic work by researching, analysing and checking public claims. Other syndicate officials disputed parts of the Interior Ministry’s account of its communications with the organisation following the arrests.
Lobna Darwish, advocacy director at EIPR, told AFP that detaining an outlet’s entire editorial staff marked a significant development in pressure on independent journalism.
EIPR says 26 journalists are currently detained in Egypt in cases connected to their work. Journalists detained in the country have frequently faced accusations including spreading false news.
Founded in 2018, Matsadaash specialises in fact-checking and investigative reporting. Its recent work has included scrutiny of government statements on refugee numbers and reporting on alleged favouritism in appointments to Egypt’s public prosecution service.
The platform has previously faced pressure from authorities. An editor was detained in 2023 and later released, while Matsadaash says access to its website has also been blocked inside Egypt.
