An entire newsroom in the dock: Egypt charges Matsadaash journalist with terrorism
Egypt has charged Matsadaash journalist Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira with joining a "terrorist" group, spreading false news and misusing social media, days after security forces detained the independent platform's entire six-person newsroom. Abu Emeira was ordered held for 15 days after a 10-hour overnight interrogation attended by an EIPR lawyer; prosecutors said the other five would be questioned later. The Interior Ministry accused Matsadaash of destabilising the country through disinformation and linked its founder to the Muslim Brotherhood; founder Abdelrahman Mansour denies it. CPJ called the arrests "a grave escalation"; more than 50 organisations demanded the journalists' release. EIPR says 26 journalists are now jailed in Egypt over their work.
· 3 min read