Egyptian Security Detains Full Editorial Team of Independent News Outlet Matsadaash

NEW YORK — Egyptian authorities have arrested the entire editorial team of Matsadaash, one of the country’s few independent media outlets, accusing them of belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The arrests of the six journalists this week sparked condemnation from international and regional rights groups, who described the move as an “alarming escalation against independent media and freedom of expression.”

Authorities alleged that the detainees produced fabricated news for an online outlet in exchange for foreign funding and were members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Matsadaash co‑founder Abdelrahman Mansour denied the claims, saying he and the journalists’ families have no idea of their whereabouts. “Everyone on this team knew the risks when they went to work every day, but it’s unacceptable for the government to make false accusations and forcibly disappear journalists just because they’re afraid of a free press,” he said, speaking from outside Egypt. “Their families are worried, we’re worried, we just want them released unharmed.”

Founded eight years ago as a fact‑checking platform, Matsadaash has expanded into investigative reporting across Egypt and other Arab nations. Two of its editors were previously arrested in 2023 but released without charge after investigators found no Brotherhood links. “It’s very difficult for us to understand why this is happening,” Mansour added.

Egypt is among the world’s worst jailers of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights reports that 26 journalists are currently detained.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry called Matsadaash an unlicensed page managed abroad by a “fugitive Brotherhood member” identified as Mansour. It said the six detainees were part of a Brotherhood “media committee” that prepared false news for publication and noted that only one of them belongs to the Journalists’ Syndicate. Legal action has been taken, though specific charges were not disclosed.

The arrests began on Monday night at the home of Abdallah Qadry. The remaining five staff members were taken into custody on Tuesday, beginning with Mohamed Abu Emaira, whose library and internet router were destroyed during the raid. Omar Helal was seized in Port Said, Islam Barakat in Gharbia Governorate, and Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel were detained in Cairo. All cellphones and computers were confiscated.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said the six remain unaccounted for and have been denied contact with families or legal counsel. It marked the first time an entire newsroom has been arrested in Egypt.

Matsadaash, launched in 2018 as an online platform, enjoys over a million followers on Facebook despite being blocked in Egypt. It has built a reputation for credible reporting on public‑interest issues.

More than 80 international and regional rights groups, civil‑society organizations and independent media outlets issued a joint petition calling for the journalists’ release, condemning the crackdown on independent press. “Egyptian authorities’ failure to allow free expression flies in the face of its professed commitments to dialogue, transparency and anti‑corruption,” the petition, signed by Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders, said.

Accusing critics of Brotherhood affiliation is a common tactic in Egypt, which designated the group a terrorist organization in 2013 after the military ousted President Mohammed Morsi. Since then, authorities have frequently leveled such accusations against journalists and dissidents.

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928, originated as a social and religious movement opposing British rule before becoming a major Islamist force across the Sunni world. It is now banned in several countries, including Jordan, and designated a terrorist group in others.

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