Egypt detains entire newsroom of independent outlet Matsda2sh, rights groups say

Egyptian security forces arrested all six journalists in the newsroom of the independent outlet Matsda2sh over Sept. 28 and 29, and their whereabouts had still not been publicly disclosed as of Thursday, prompting rights groups to describe the detentions as incommunicado and an apparent enforced disappearance.

The six journalists — Abdallah Qadry, Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel — make up Matsda2sh’s entire editorial newsroom. Their arrests effectively shut down the editorial operation of the small independent investigative and fact-checking platform, which was founded in 2018.

The detentions took place in raids across several governorates, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, or EIPR, which represents all six journalists. EIPR said security personnel did not present arrest or search warrants during at least some of the raids and seized phones, laptops and other electronic devices belonging to the journalists and some of their family members.

On Oct. 1, Egypt’s Interior Ministry acknowledged the arrests, saying the journalists were suspected of preparing “fabricated news” for Matsda2sh and alleging the platform was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, the banned Islamist movement that Egyptian authorities classify as a terrorist organization. But the ministry did not publicly specify criminal charges against the journalists or disclose where they were being held.

Rights groups said that by Oct. 2, families and lawyers still had not been allowed contact with the six men. Human Rights Watch, EIPR and the Committee to Protect Journalists said the lack of information about their location and detention status amounted to incommunicado detention and an apparent enforced disappearance. Under international law, rights groups say detaining people without disclosing their whereabouts or allowing contact can amount to enforced disappearance.

“Egyptian authorities’ simultaneous arrest of the entire newsroom at a prominent independent news platform is deeply alarming,” Bassam Khawaja of Human Rights Watch said in a statement. “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.”

Matsda2sh denied the allegations. Abdelrahman Mansour, the outlet’s founder, said Matsda2sh has no affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood and rejected the accusation that it was producing fabricated news.

“We have no affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, and the authorities know this,” Mansour said, according to CPJ. “Our commitment to independent journalism has remained unchanged. These accusations misrepresent who we are and the work we do.”

More than 80 organizations signed a public call condemning the arrests and demanding the journalists’ release.

The case has drawn particular attention because Matsda2sh is a small newsroom focused on independent investigations and fact-checking on issues of public interest in Egypt and the wider region. Arresting all six editorial staff at once removed the outlet’s entire reporting and editing team in a matter of two days.

Press freedom groups say Egypt has long restricted independent journalism. CPJ says the country remains one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, with 25 behind bars.