Egypt Arrests Entire Matsadaash Newsroom

Egyptian authorities have arrested all six members of Matsadaash, an independent fact-checking platform, in a case that has prompted warnings about worsening restrictions on press freedom. The arrests began on Monday, and the Interior Ministry confirmed them on Thursday. It described Matsadaash as an unlicensed online page managed from abroad that spreads misinformation and distorts facts, and alleged that it was linked to the banned Muslim Brotherhood. The ministry provided no supporting evidence for the alleged connection. No formal charges have been announced, and the platform said the journalists’ whereabouts were unknown. Matsadaash denied links to any political party or group, saying it had worked professionally to verify information and correct misleading claims regardless of their source. Its work has included debunking claims made by pro-Muslim Brotherhood actors, as well as fact-checking statements by Egypt’s foreign minister about the number of refugees in the country and reporting on alleged cronyism in public prosecution appointments. Rights advocates and press representatives condemned the arrests. Lobna Darwish of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) said the environment for journalists in Egypt was unsafe and characterized the detentions as an escalation in attacks on journalism. She noted that arresting an entire editorial team was unprecedented. Mahmoud Kamel, a Press Syndicate board member, said the incident reflected a broader climate that stifles freedom and argued that the journalists had merely carried out their professional duties. The EIPR says 26 journalists are currently detained in Egypt in connection with their work. Many detained journalists subsequently face charges of spreading false news. Darwish warned that journalism had become extremely dangerous and that the damage to Egyptian journalism, despite its long legacy, could have consequences lasting for decades.

Egyptian police arrested all six journalists working for Matsaddash, a digital fact-checking and investigative outlet that has operated since 2018. The arrests took place on Sept. 30, according to Reuters, and EIPR, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, is providing the journalists with legal representation. EIPR said plainclothes security personnel had begun raiding the journalists’ homes on Monday evening and confiscated electronic devices. Egypt’s Interior Ministry accused Matsaddash of being managed from abroad and functioning as part of the banned Muslim Brotherhood’s media apparatus, with support from Brotherhood members inside Egypt. The outlet rejected the allegation, saying it was not affiliated with the Brotherhood. It also pointed to its reporting correcting misinformation it said had been published by Brotherhood-affiliated media. Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group in 2013, the year the military removed Mohamed Mursi, a Brotherhood member who had been democratically elected president. The arrests come amid broader restrictions on independent journalism in Egypt. Journalists and activists are often arrested on accusations of spreading false news and rumours, while independent outlets say they face difficulty operating in restrictive conditions. The Committee to Protect Journalists said 19 journalists are currently detained in Egypt. The country’s State Information Service, which communicates with foreign media on behalf of state agencies, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Egyptian police have arrested six people whom the Interior Ministry describes as members of an online media committee linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The ministry accused the group of helping operate Matsadaqsh, an online platform whose name means “Don’t Believe It,” and of producing false or misleading reports about Egypt. According to the ministry, Matsadaqsh is an “unlicensed online page” operated from abroad by Abdel Rahman Shoukry Ali Abdel Jalil Mansour, whom it identified as a fugitive Muslim Brotherhood member. It alleged that people inside Egypt prepared fabricated reports and sent them to Mansour for publication in exchange for money from abroad. The ministry said the six arrests followed the completion of necessary legal procedures. One detainee is registered with the Journalists’ Syndicate; the other five are not members. It said the syndicate’s head had been informed about the journalist’s arrest and the circumstances, and that legal proceedings had begun. The article does not provide responses from the detainees or independent evidence supporting the ministry’s claims. Matsadaqsh describes itself as a platform focused on fact-checking Egyptian and Arab content and producing open-source reports and investigations. Its Facebook page has more than 1.3 million followers. The platform denied the accusations in a statement. The article places the arrests in the wider context of the Egyptian government’s campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood. Since President Abdel Fattah El Sisi came to power in 2013, Egyptian authorities have outlawed the organisation, designated it a terrorist group and prosecuted thousands of its members and supporters.