Egypt Detains All Six Matsadaash Journalists

Egyptian authorities detained all six journalists on the Matsadaash digital media platform’s editorial team this week, and the Interior Ministry accused them of links to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and producing fabricated news. The ministry said legal measures had been taken but did not specify charges. The allegations have been denied by the outlet and its cofounder, Abdelrahman Mansour. The journalists were identified as Abdallah Qadry, Mohamed Abu Emaira, Omar Helal, Islam Barakat, Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel. According to accounts from Mansour and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, authorities arrested the journalists at homes and in Cairo during Monday evening and Tuesday. Their phones and computers were confiscated, the accounts said. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said the six journalists’ whereabouts were unknown and that they had not been allowed to contact their families or legal counsel. Their location and access to lawyers or relatives could not be independently confirmed in the supplied accounts. The Interior Ministry did not provide details about any charges.