HRW: Six Journalists From Egypt's Matsda2sh Detained, Whereabouts Unknown

Human Rights Watch reported that Egyptian security forces took six journalists from the independent investigative outlet Matsda2sh into custody last month, and their current whereabouts remain undisclosed. The arrests took place during raids conducted in different parts of Egypt. Those detained are Abdallah Qadry, Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Mohamed Adel. Together, they make up the outlet's whole editorial newsroom. Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said, “Egyptian authorities’ simultaneous arrest of the entire newsroom at a prominent independent news platform is deeply alarming.” He added, “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 was founded in 2018 and produces investigations and checks information about matters of public interest in Egypt and the wider region. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, whose lawyers are representing all six journalists, stated that security personnel who searched some of the journalists’ homes failed to show arrest or search warrants and did not reveal why they were being detained or where they would be taken. The security personnel also confiscated electronic devices belonging to the journalists and their relatives. On October 1, Egypt’s Interior Ministry confirmed the arrests and said the six were suspected of preparing what it called “fabricated news” for Matsda2sh. The ministry also claimed the platform has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, described as an international Islamic social and political movement. In its statement, the ministry did not specify the criminal charges the journalists face or say where they were being held. The platform has rejected the allegations. More than 80 organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have condemned the arrests and demanded the journalists’ release.