NGOs call for the release of entire newsroom at Egyptian investigative journalism platform Matsadaash

We, the undersigned civil society organisations and independent media outlets, come together to condemn the escalating crackdown on independent Egyptian investigative journalism platform Matsadaash, which now includes the arrest of six journalists, constituting the entirety of the newsroom.

Late into the evening of Monday, September 28 and early Tuesday, September 29, 2026, Egyptian security forces conducted raids on the homes of journalists Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira and Abdallah Qadry and took them into custody. Raids on the homes of other journalists working for the platform continued across several governorates over the hours to come. By the end of the day on Tuesday, Islam Barakat and Omar Helal were arrested at their homes in Gharbiya and Port Said, and Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel were arrested in Cairo.

During the home raids, officers confiscated phones and laptops, including devices belonging to family members; refused to display a warrant; and refused to disclose where the journalists were being taken. As of the writing of this statement, the reasons for their arrest has not been shared and their location remains unknown. 

In 2018, Matsadaash was founded by a group of Egyptian journalists committed to producing in-depth reporting and open-source investigations. Matsadaash has operated openly for years and has built a reputation for credible and accurate reporting on a range of public interest issues across Egypt. The detained Matsadaash journalists are known across the region. 

This is not the first time that Matsadaash has come under attack by the Egyptian authorities. In 2023, a Matsadaash editor was arrested. Although he was ultimately released 48 hours later, the platform has also previously been the target of smear campaigns intended to silence its critical work. Egypt is one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, with 19 currently behind bars.

We, the undersigned, call on Egyptian authorities to immediately release Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Abdallah Qadry, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Mohamed Adel from custody. We call on authorities to halt any and all targeting directed at the Matsadaash platform and to release all journalists detained or imprisoned for their work in Egypt. Independent journalism is critical in any free society and Egyptian authorities’ failure to allow the free exercise of the right to expression goes against a purported commitment to dialogue, transparency, anti-corruption, and regional leadership. The crackdown on the Matsadaash platform and these arrests are alarming escalations on independent media and freedom of expression that cannot be allowed to stand. 

Signatories

• Access Now
• Aegis Safety Alliance
• AlJumhuriya Collective - Syria 
• American Committee for Middle East Rights (ACMER)
• ARIJ (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism)
• ARTICLE 19
• Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
• Beam Reports 
• Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
• Daraj Media 
• Delfi Estonia Fact-Check
• Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
• Egyptian Front for Human Rights
• Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF)
• Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
• EgyptWide for Human Rights
• Ellinika Hoaxes - Greece
• El Nadim Center against Violence and Torture
• EuroMed Rights
• FactCheck Georgia
• FairSquare
• Fareq Platform
• Global Voices
• Gohoud to Support Human Rights Defenders
• Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
• Hounna Feminist Platform
• HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
• INSM
• International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
• Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms
• Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF)
• Mada Masr 
• MENA Rights Group
• Muwatin Media Network
• Najda Human Rights
• Pagella Politica / Facta news
• Raseef22
• Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE)
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
• Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center
• REDWORD for Human Rights & Freedom of Expression
• Samir Kassir Foundation
• Share3 Media 
• SMEX
• Syria Justice and Accountability Center
• Taafi initiative
• Tafnied for Fact-Checking
• Tech4Peace 
• The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession (ACIJLP)
• The Checker - Iraq
• The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
• The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
• Women for Justice Foundation