The International Press Institute (IPI) condemns the arrest of six Egyptian journalists who make up the entire editorial team of the investigative outlet Matsadaash, and the terrorism charge brought against one of them. IPI calls for their immediate release and urges Egyptian authorities to stop using national security laws against the press.
Authorities arrested the six journalists, Abdallah Qadri, Mohamed Ashraf, Mohamed Adel, Islam Barakat, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Omar Helal, on September 28 and 29, 2026. Officers also seized their phones and computers.
Authorities did not immediately disclose why they had arrested the journalists.
On October 1, Egypt’s Interior Ministry acknowledged the detentions and accused Matsadaash of affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt banned in 2013. The ministry also claimed the outlet was unlicensed and run from abroad to spread “false news” on behalf of the group.
Egyptian authorities have frequently levelled such accusations against journalists in retaliation for critical reporting.
Matsadaash co-founder Abdelrahman Mansour has repeatedly denied the allegations. In a social media post responding to the ministry, the outlet rejected each of the government’s claims point by point, and restated its editorial standards.
On October 4, authorities said they had charged one of the detained journalists, Mohamed Ashraf, with participation in a terrorism group and spreading false news. They have not disclosed why they continue to hold the other five and have not said where the journalists are being held.
Lawyers for the detained journalists said the six appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on October 4. Several of the journalists said security officers had tortured them, interrogated them for hours, and forced them to record confessions from statements the officers supplied.
“Putting an entire newsroom behind bars is an alarming escalation of President el-Sisi’s crackdown on press freedom in Egypt,” IPI Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette said. “This is a blatant attempt to censor Matsadaash’s vital public interest reporting — increasingly at risk in Egypt. IPI demands their immediate release and an end to the use of national security laws against the press.”
Also on October 4, another Egyptian journalist, Rasha Azab, said she had received a summons to appear before the Supreme State Security Prosecution for unspecified reasons. A long-standing defender of freedom of expression in Egypt, she had publicly backed the six Matsadaash journalists after their arrest.
The arrests came days before the U.S. State Department announced it would waive human rights conditions on $320 million in military aid to Egypt.
They also come weeks ahead of Egypt Forum 2026, a national event organised by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to highlight his government’s achievements and launch an “interactive dialogue” on public policy and development priorities.
Launched in 2018, Matsadaash is one of Egypt’s few remaining independent outlets. It publishes investigative reports and fact-checks Egypt’s predominantly state-controlled media, often on topics the government considers politically sensitive.
In August 2023, authorities detained a Matsadaash journalist after the outlet reported on arrests in Zambia of several Egyptian nationals — including security officials — whose private plane was found to be carrying cash and weapons. Authorities released the journalist several days later.