Egypt detains six Mata2dksh journalists; one held 15 days on terror charges

Egyptian authorities have detained six journalists from the fact-checking platform Mata2dksh, with one held 15 days on state security charges.

• Six journalists from the Egyptian fact-checking platform Mata2dksh were arrested between September 28 and 29, 2026, from their homes and the street.
• Journalist Mohamed Ashraf Abu Omaira was detained 15 days after a 10-hour interrogation on charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news.
• The Journalists Syndicate announced it filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General over alleged physical violations and forced confessions, and demanded the journalists' release.
• The Interior Ministry said the platform is unlicensed and linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, a claim founder Abdelrahman Mansour denied.
• The Interior Ministry denied allegations of torture or mistreatment of the six journalists, calling them baseless attempts to evade charges of activity on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood and saying the case is before judicial authorities.
• The Journalists Syndicate said five of the six detained journalists are trainees and formed a permanent committee headed by the syndicate's dean to pursue the case and demand their release.
• The Media Syndicate's Rumor Control Center, headed by Dr. Tarek Saada, denied the torture allegations, citing a security source that they aim to evade charges.