Egypt renews detention of 6 journalists from "Matsad2sh" and the UN calls for their release

Egypt's State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of six journalists from the fact-checking platform "Matsad2sh" for an additional 15 days, coinciding with the UN's call for their immediate release and its warning of escalating attacks on press freedom. The journalists face charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news, while the defense insists on their release due to lack of material evidence.

Egypt's State Security Prosecution renewed on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, the detention of six journalists working for the fact-checking platform "Matsad2sh" for an additional 15 days, coinciding with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' call for their immediate release and its warning of what it described as escalating attacks on press freedom in the country. The journalists face charges of joining and financing a terrorist group, spreading false news, and using social media accounts to promote it, under case number 8083 of 2026, before the State Security Prosecution. The detention includes the entire editorial team of the platform, whose members were arrested by authorities at the end of last September, before being placed in pretrial detention pending investigations. According to the Egyptian website "Al-Mantsa", the detention was renewed for the third time in a session held via video conferencing, attended by the journalists' lawyer, who reiterated their demands for the release of their clients. Lawyer Nabih al-Genadi, a member of the defense team, said the session took longer than usual, allowing lawyers to present their legal arguments and register their requests before the prosecution. He explained that the defense insisted on the journalists' release, noting that no material evidence was presented to prove the charges against them, nor were any published journalistic materials identified that contained false information, according to his account of the investigation proceedings. The lawyers also renewed their demands for an independent judicial investigation into complaints regarding the torture of some journalists.