The Egyptian Ministry of Interior announced on October 1, 2026, that it had arrested six journalists from the "Matsaddaksh" platform, accusing them of being members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The ministry claimed that the platform, which it described as an unlicensed page operating from abroad, aimed to undermine the country's stability by spreading lies and rumors.
The founder of "Matsaddaksh," Abd al-Rahman Mansur, rejected the accusations, stating that the authorities were aware that the platform was not affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Mansur noted that the platform was a professional news outlet and that the authorities had previously arrested and then released its journalists in August 2023 after investigating them.
The arrest of the journalists has sparked concerns about press freedom in Egypt. Islam Salama, a lawyer from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, reported that the six journalists had not appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution and that their whereabouts were still unknown.
According to sources, the "Matsaddaksh" platform had previously offered to regularize its status as a news outlet with the Egyptian authorities in 2023, but the offer was ignored. The platform's journalists had also been arrested three years ago for their coverage of a news story known as the "Zambia plane" and were forced to delete their reports.
The Egyptian journalists' union has been involved in efforts to secure the release of the arrested journalists. The union's efforts have included attempts to communicate with the authorities and propose solutions to resolve the crisis. However, the authorities have shown no willingness to engage with the union's proposals.
The union's efforts to secure the release of the journalists have been met with resistance from the authorities. The authorities have used a letter sent by the union to official bodies, including the Ministry of Interior, to justify their refusal to engage with the union's proposals.
The arrest of the "Matsaddaksh" journalists has sparked widespread concern about the state of press freedom in Egypt. The incident has highlighted the challenges faced by journalists and news outlets in the country and the need for greater protections for press freedom.
Key points
- The Egyptian authorities' arrest of the "Matsaddaksh" journalists has sparked concerns about press freedom in the country.
- The founder of "Matsaddaksh" has denied the authorities' claims that the platform is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
- The Egyptian journalists' union has been involved in efforts to secure the release of the arrested journalists.
