Egyptian journalists are preparing a new protest in Cairo this weekend after six of their colleagues were charged with terrorism offences and accused of being unlicensed by authorities. The arrests followed claims that the journalists had been tortured during police detention.
The six, all members of the independent fact‑checking platform Matsadaash—Abdallah Qadri, Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Mohamed Adel, Islam Barakat, Mohamed Mahmoud and Omar Helal—were taken from their homes and from the street by plainclothes officers. One was charged on Sunday, the other five late on Wednesday. All six have told lawyers that they were blindfolded, handcuffed, beaten, forcibly stripped and subjected to electric shocks, and that they were forced to film false confessions.
In a statement, the public prosecution said forensic examinations of three journalists who alleged ill‑treatment found no injuries or signs of violence. The interior ministry denied the torture allegations, describing the six as “Muslim Brotherhood elements working for the group” and calling the claims “baseless.” A separate journalist, Rasha Azab, was questioned for a social‑media post criticising the interior ministry and faces charges of promoting terrorist ideas.
Organiser Hadeer El‑Mahdawy said the journalists’ arrests and alleged abuse are part of a broader crackdown on independent media amid low pay and insecure employment. She urged the profession to reject the attacks and defend its remaining freedom.
