Egyptian security forces raided the homes of six Matsda2sh reporters—Abdullah Qadry, Mohammed Abu Emeira, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohammed Mahmoud and Mohammed Adel—on September 28‑29, 2023, charging them with terrorism, funding terror and publishing “fake news”.
Matsda2sh, founded in 2018, has forged a reputation for fact‑checking statements by officials and exposing misinformation, a task the Interior Ministry says destabilises the state.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said five of the journalists were remanded in State Security custody for 15 days and the sixth remains under interrogation; the group also alleges they were tortured—beatings, electric shocks and threats—to coerce confessions.
The Committee to Protect Journalists slammed the raids as “grave escalation” against independent reporting, while the Reporters Without Borders called for an immediate, transparent judicial process.
This move follows President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi’s 2013 campaign that declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, leading to mass detentions of activists, academics and media workers.
A trial is slated to open in the coming weeks, with the journalists’ lawyers demanding a fair hearing, while international observers await the court’s decision on the terrorism charges.