Egypt charges six journalists from fact-checking outlet with terrorism offences

Egypt’s public prosecutor announced on Wednesday 7 October 2026 that six journalists from an independent fact-checking outlet have been charged with terrorism offences.

The authorities accuse them of links to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Egypt, and of taking money from abroad to spread false news.

The accused are the full news staff of an independent media organisation called Matsadaash. Rights groups say they were arrested in sudden police raids across several Egyptian governorates between 28 and 29 September.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), which is acting for them, says the journalists are being held in a maximum-security prison.

The prosecutor says Brotherhood leaders abroad set up the website to undermine public confidence in state institutions and to incite protests, and that the staff were paid monthly salaries in dollars from abroad.

The outlet and one of its founders, Abdelrahman Mansour, who lives in New York, reject all the charges. The organisation has been known since 2018 for checking the accuracy of statements by state officials.

The Muslim Brotherhood was banned as a terrorist organisation in Egypt after President Mohamed Morsi was removed from power in 2013, and conviction for co-operating with the group can carry sentences of up to life imprisonment.

International press-freedom and rights organisations have strongly condemned the move and are calling for the journalists to be released. EIPR says the arrests bring the number of journalists jailed in Egypt for their work to 26. Egypt is among the countries known for jailing and silencing the largest numbers of journalists.