Egyptian police arrest entire newsroom of investigative outlet over alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties

Egyptian police arrested six journalists from the investigative outlet Matsaddash, accusing them of spreading misinformation on behalf of the banned Muslim Brotherhood. The arrests, which comprised the entire newsroom, began with home raids on Monday evening. Matsaddash denied the affiliation, citing its corrections of Brotherhood-linked misinformation. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights is providing legal representation.

Egyptian police arrested six journalists from Matsaddash, a fact-checking and investigative digital platform operating since 2018, accusing them of spreading misinformation on behalf of the banned Muslim Brotherhood. The arrests comprised the entire newsroom, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), which is providing legal representation. Plainclothes security personnel began raiding the journalists' homes on Monday evening, confiscating electronic devices. The interior ministry accused the site of being managed from abroad as "part of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood's media apparatus" with help from Brotherhood "elements" inside Egypt. Matsaddash denied any affiliation with the Brotherhood, pointing to reports that it had issued corrections to what it described as misinformation published by Brotherhood-affiliated media outlets. Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group in 2013, the year the army overthrew President Mohamed Mursi, a democratically elected Brotherhood member. Egyptian journalists and activists have frequently been arrested on charges of spreading false news, and many independent outlets say they struggle under restrictive conditions. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports 19 journalists currently detained in Egypt. Egypt's State Information Service did not respond to a request for comment.