Yesterday, Wednesday (October 8, 2026), the Egyptian Public Prosecution filed charges of terrorism against the six detained journalists of the “Mtsadaksh” platform, of working for the banned Muslim Brotherhood, and of receiving funding from abroad to spread “rumors, false news, and statements.”
Lawyers for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said in a previous statement that most of the journalists “proved before the Supreme State Security Prosecution... that they were subjected to various forms of torture and ill-treatment,” while the Egyptian Ministry of Interior denied these accusations.
The statement defined the “Matsadakish” platform as one of the media platforms affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, and “it is responsible for a member of the group who has fled outside the country.” Investigators said that the defendants were receiving “monthly financing” in foreign currencies through transfers from a company owned by a member of the group residing outside Egypt.
According to the prosecution, one of the defendants admitted that he and his colleagues received instructions to “publish and broadcast many rumors and false news about state institutions and their officials, in preparation for their overthrow.”
It stated that another defendant reported that the platform was being used to “highlight the deficiencies in state institutions,” fueling public discontent. She added that checking the accounts of two journalists on social media showed posts “supportive of the terrorist Brotherhood.”
The platform denies its affiliation with any political group, referring to reports in which it refuted “false statements and news promoted by parties and figures affiliated with the Brotherhood,” which has been banned since 2013 during the overthrow of the late President Mohamed Morsi.
Conviction of membership in the group may be punishable by up to life imprisonment. More than 80 regional and international organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, and the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the arrest and demanded the immediate release of the six journalists.
According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the recent arrests bring the number of journalists currently detained in Egypt in connection with their journalistic work to 26 journalists.
“Don’t believe it,” she replies: Previous investigations exonerated us
For its part, the “Mtsadeqesh” platform denied the accusations directed against it and its journalists, stressing that it is not linked to any political or organizational party, and that it has worked openly inside Egypt since its founding eight years ago.
The platform said, in a statement published on its official page, that it had remained silent since the arrest of six members of its journalistic team, hoping to provide an opportunity to address the crisis, but it decided to respond after accusations were made related to belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and receiving foreign funding.
She pointed out that these accusations contradict, according to her, the results of previous investigations and security measures that the platform and its employees were subjected to in 2023, which ended with the release of one of its former editors, and also allowed team members to travel and continue their work during the past years.
The platform wondered about the reasons for its continued activity inside the country over the past years if, as the authorities say, it is indeed affiliated with a banned group or represents a front for illegal activities.
"Mtsadeqsh" stressed that it operates as an independent journalistic platform specialized in verifying information, stressing that its project is based on supporting professional journalism and searching for the truth away from any political agendas.
She added that the detained journalists are paying the price for their adherence to independent journalistic work, renewing her demand for the release of the arrested editorial team members.
The union takes legal action and demands the release of the journalists
On the other hand, the Syndicate Council formed a permanent committee to follow up on the case and seek the assistance of all legal expertise to support the imprisoned journalists, amid demands for their release with “the Syndicate’s guarantee or any other guarantees that take into account the young age of some of them and their lack of experience,” according to a Syndicate statement.
The union also explained that it had submitted a report to the Public Prosecutor regarding allegations that journalists were subjected to physical abuse during their detention, “forcing them to make false statements or recordings, and proving the invalidity of any confession taken under duress.”
On the other hand, the Public Prosecution and the Egyptian Ministry of Interior denied, in two separate statements, that the six journalists were subjected to torture or ill-treatment during their detention. The prosecution said that three of the defendants claimed that they had been subjected to cruelty, so it referred them to the Forensic Medicine Authority, which concluded that there were no injuries or signs indicating that they had been exposed to violence.
