Washington, D.C., October 2, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately release the six detained journalists working for investigative media platform Matsda2sh, reveal their whereabouts, ensure they have prompt access to lawyers and families, and drop any charges stemming solely from their legitimate journalistic work.
The crackdown began with security forces raiding the homes of journalists Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira and Abdallah Qadry, who were arrested on Monday evening and early Tuesday morning. By the end of Tuesday, security forces had also detained Islam Barakat and Omar Helal at their homes in Gharbiya and Port Said, respectively, while two more journalists, Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel, were arrested on the streets of Cairo.
“The arrest and apparent disappearance of six journalists from a single newsroom is a grave escalation in Egypt’s campaign against independent journalism,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “The international community must not look away as Egyptian authorities systematically intimidate and silence independent media. CPJ warns that this crackdown is a direct assault on journalists’ fundamental right to report freely and independently, and risks deepening a climate of fear that threatens independent journalism across Egypt.” “
On Thursday, Egypt’s Interior Ministry accused Matsda2sh of seeking to destabilize the country through disinformation, describing it as an unlicensed, foreign-run page spreading false content. The statement also linked the platform and its founder, Abdel Rahman Mansour, to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt designated a terrorist organization in 2013.
Mansour rejected the accusation in comments to the independent Cairo-based outlet Mada Masr, saying authorities are well aware Matsda2sh has no ties to the Brotherhood and operates as a professional journalism platform. He noted that one of the outlet’s journalists had previously been summoned for questioning in 2023 and was released shortly after.
In 2023, Matsda2sh journalist Karim Asaad was arrested. He was later released, but the outlet has come under smear campaigns intended to silence its journalism work.
Egypt remains one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, with 25 currently behind bars.
CPJ emailed Egypt’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.