United Nations human rights experts have condemned the arrest, alleged enforced disappearance and detention of six Egyptian journalists who make up the entire newsroom of the independent investigative media platform Matsadaash, warning that the case reflects an escalating crackdown on independent journalism in Egypt.
The six journalists – Mohamed Ashraf, Abdallah Qadry, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Adel and Mohamed Mahmoud – were allegedly arrested by Egyptian security forces on 28 and 29 September 2026 and forcibly disappeared for five days, according to the experts. On 1 October, Egypt’s Ministry of Interior confirmed their arrests in a Facebook post but did not disclose their whereabouts or circumstances of detention. The journalists have reportedly also been denied access to lawyers.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of enforced disappearances being used to repress and intimidate journalists engaged in legitimate professional duties in Egypt and call for their immediate release,” the experts said in a statement issued in Geneva on 5 November.
The experts said the journalists had allegedly been interrogated, tortured and subjected to cruel treatment while their whereabouts remained unknown. They warned that enforced disappearances caused serious harm to detainees and their families while placing those detained outside the protection of the law and preventing them from exercising their rights or seeking legal protection.
“The torture and ill-treatment of these journalists is an egregious example of a severe and relentless crackdown on independent voices,” they said.
The six journalists have been charged with terrorism-related offences that carry the death penalty. The UN experts expressed concern that the charges had been brought despite the alleged offences failing to meet the threshold of the most serious crimes under international law.
The case has also raised concerns about alleged transnational repression involving Abdelrahman Mansour, the founder of Matsadaash, who currently lives outside Egypt. According to the experts, Mansour has reportedly faced threats, a smear campaign and violations of his privacy after the Egyptian Ministry of Interior publicly described him as a “fugitive” operator.
The experts warned that such actions could extend pressure against independent journalists beyond national borders. They recalled that transnational repression poses serious risks to human rights, civic space, independent journalism and public participation across countries.
They said the prosecution of the entire Matsadaash newsroom and the threats directed at its founder were not isolated incidents but reflected what they described as a widespread and escalating practice of unlawful detention of journalists in Egypt.
The experts also criticised the use of counter-terrorism legislation containing vague and overly broad provisions to prosecute journalists, saying such measures were incompatible with international human rights law and could discourage the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression.
“The continued use of vague and overly broad counter-terrorism provisions to prosecute journalists is incompatible with international human rights law and has a chilling effect on the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression,” they said.
The experts recalled Egypt’s obligations under international human rights law to protect freedom of opinion and expression, uphold the right to participate in public affairs and ensure that diverse opinions and interpretations could be expressed in public life.
They said they had previously raised concerns about the situation facing journalists and media organisations in Egypt and reiterated their appeals to the authorities to refrain from misusing counter-terrorism legislation to restrict fundamental rights.
“Due process must be guaranteed to all detained journalists, including the Matsadaash newsroom crew,” the experts said, reiterating their call for the journalists’ immediate release.
