All six journalists of the Matsaddash platform detained in Egypt — Daily Maverick

In Egypt, police detained six journalists from the fact-checking and investigative digital platform Matsaddash. As Daily Maverick reports, citing the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), all those detained make up the entire staff of the outlet, which has operated since 2018.

Searches and seizure of devices

The EIPR, which provides the journalists with legal assistance, said that plainclothes security officers began searching their homes on Monday evening. During the searches, the journalists' electronic devices were confiscated.

Interior Ministry statements and the outlet's position

In a statement on the detentions, Egypt's Interior Ministry claimed that the website was allegedly run from abroad as part of the media apparatus of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in the country, with the assistance of the movement's representatives inside the country. The ministry also accused the journalists of spreading disinformation on behalf of the movement.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Matsaddash denied ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. In a statement, the outlet pointed to its publications that, it said, refuted disinformation in media linked to the movement. Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in 2013, when the military removed President Mohamed Morsi, who was a member of the movement, from power.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 19 journalists are currently being held in custody in Egypt. Egypt's State Information Service, which communicates with foreign media on behalf of state authorities, did not respond to a request for comment on the detentions.