CAIRO, EGYPT (HRNW) — Human Rights Watch is calling on Egyptian authorities to disclose the whereabouts of six journalists arrested from the independent investigative platform Matsda2sh and ensure that they can contact their families and lawyers.

In a statement published on October 2, Human Rights Watch said security forces arrested the journalists in raids between September 28 and 29.

The six journalists were identified as Abdallah Qadry, Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel.

Human Rights Watch said the six people made up the platform’s entire investigative newsroom.

The organization said the journalists’ families and lawyers had not been permitted to contact them and that their whereabouts remained unknown.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, whose lawyers represent the journalists, said security personnel who raided some homes did not present arrest or search warrants or disclose the basis for the arrests, according to Human Rights Watch.

The rights group also reported that electronic devices belonging to journalists and family members were seized.

On October 1, Egypt’s Interior Ministry acknowledged the arrests and said the journalists were suspected of preparing what it described as fabricated news for Matsda2sh. The ministry also alleged that the platform was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Matsda2sh has denied the allegations, Human Rights Watch said.

The organization said the authorities had not identified specific criminal charges or disclosed where the journalists were being held in the ministry’s statement.

More than 80 organizations have condemned the arrests and called for the journalists’ release, according to Human Rights Watch.

Matsda2sh was established in 2018 and publishes investigations and fact-checking on matters of public interest in Egypt and the wider region.

Human Rights Watch said the arrests raise concerns about freedom of expression, access to legal representation and protection against arbitrary detention.

The organization urged Egyptian authorities to immediately reveal the journalists’ locations, allow access to lawyers and families, and ensure that they are not prosecuted for carrying out journalistic work.

The case comes amid longstanding concerns raised by rights organizations about restrictions on independent journalism and freedom of expression in Egypt.

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Disclaimer

This article is based on Human Rights Watch’s October 2, 2026 news release and information attributed to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Egyptian Interior Ministry and Matsda2sh. The allegations and accounts are attributed to those sources and have not been independently verified by HRNW.