On September 28 and 29, six individuals working for Matsada2sh, an Egyptian fact-checking and investigative platform, were detained by Egyptian authorities. The platform's lawyers and representatives confirmed the arrests, which have sparked widespread concern over press freedom in the country. Matsada2sh describes itself as an independent platform aimed at verifying Egyptian and Arab content and producing open-source investigations. The detentions have been widely reported, with many organizations calling for the immediate release of the journalists.
The Egyptian Ministry of Interior confirmed the arrests on October 1, accusing Matsada2sh of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood, a group designated as a terrorist organization in Egypt in 2013. According to the ministry, the platform is "unlicensed and managed from abroad" and has been spreading false news and distorting facts. The ministry claimed that the platform was one of the Brotherhood's media committees, run from abroad by co-founder Abdelrahman Mansour, who is described as a fugitive Brotherhood member.
Matsada2sh has rejected the accusations, stating that its team members are Egyptians living in Egypt who are paid salaries through Egyptian banks. The platform also claimed that it has published corrections of false claims spread by figures and outlets affiliated with the Brotherhood. Abdelrahman Mansour told the Associated Press that the claims are false and that he left Egypt legally and faces no pending case. Mansour also noted that when two of the platform's editors were arrested in 2023, State Security investigators found no Brotherhood affiliation.
The Journalists Syndicate has filed a complaint with the Interior Ministry and a report to the Prosecutor General, calling for the release of the detained journalists. On October 1, the Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered the six detained for 15 days pending investigation, according to a report on Al-Masry Al-Youm's website. The Journalists Syndicate has requested clarification on the report and has expressed concerns over the lack of transparency in the case.
On October 2, Amr Adeeb's program Al-Hekaya on MBC Masr featured a phone interview with writer Abdel Rahim Ali, head of a Paris-based Middle East studies center. Ali claimed that Matsada2sh is linked to a New York-based non-profit, Open Transformation Lab, which he said Mansour heads. Ali also played audio recordings he claimed were of Mansour, including one dated to March 2011, in which Mansour speaks with Brotherhood leader Khairat El-Shater.
The detention of the Matsada2sh journalists has sparked widespread condemnation, with over 80 regional and international organizations, including Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists, calling for their release. The Journalists Syndicate has also called for the release of the journalists, with its general assembly remaining in permanent session until further action is decided. The case has raised concerns over press freedom and the government's treatment of journalists.
The prosecution has not yet publicly announced any charges against the detained journalists, and the Journalists Syndicate has expressed concerns over the lack of transparency in the case. The syndicate's head, Khaled El-Balshy, said that the prosecution had told the syndicate's lawyer that the six had not yet been questioned. The case is ongoing, with many organizations and individuals calling for the release of the detained journalists and an end to the government's crackdown on press freedom.
Key points
- Egyptian authorities detain six journalists from fact-checking platform Matsada2sh.
- The detention sparks concerns over press freedom and the government's treatment of journalists.
- Over 80 regional and international organizations call for the release of the detained journalists.
