GENEVA, 07 Nov. - (ANA) - Independent UN human rights experts have condemned the arrest and alleged enforced disappearance of six journalists in Egypt in September, calling for their immediate release amid growing concerns over an intensifying crackdown on independent journalism in the country. 

 

In a statement issued on Thursday, UN human rights experts expressed alarm over the treatment of journalists working for Matsadaash, an independent Egyptian investigative and fact-checking platform.

 

The experts included representatives of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

 

“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. 

 

“Enforced disappearances produce serious harm and consequences for the disappeared and their families. They also make it impossible to seek protection and exercise any rights, since the disappeared person is placed outside the protection of the law.” 

 

The UN experts' intervention follows the arrests of all six members of Matsadaash's editorial and newsroom team by Egyptian security forces between 28 and 29 September 2026.

 

Those detained were identified as Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Abdallah Qadry, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel. 

 

The journalists were allegedly subject to enforced disappearance for five days before Egyptian authorities acknowledged their arrests, prompting widespread condemnation from human rights organisations, including Amnesty International. 

 

Rights groups have raised concerns that the journalists were held in undisclosed locations, denied access to their lawyers and contact with their families, and subjected to torture and ill-treatment.

 

Egyptian authorities have accused the journalists of operating without a licence and publishing false news on behalf of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. 

 

“The torture and ill-treatment of these journalists is an egregious example of a severe and relentless crackdown on independent voices,” the UN experts said. 

 

The experts also raised concerns over what they described as the transnational repression of Matsadaash founder Abdelrahman Mansour, who currently lives outside Egypt. 

 

Mansour has reportedly faced threats, a smear campaign and violations of his privacy after Egypt's Ministry of Interior publicly branded him a 'fugitive' operator. 

 

The experts warned that transnational repression poses serious threats to human rights, civic space, independent journalism and public participation beyond national borders. They stressed that the treatment of the newsroom and the targeting of its founder are part of a wider pattern rather than isolated incidents. 

 

“The prosecution of the Matsadaash newsroom and the threats directed at Mansour are not isolated incidents, but reflective of a widespread and escalating practice of the unlawful detention of journalists in Egypt,” the experts said. 

 

“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.” 

 

The Matsadaash case comes amid wider concerns over press freedom and the targeting of independent media in Egypt under President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. 

 

The recent conviction of Egyptian journalist Lina Atallah and the court-ordered closure of independent outlet Mada Masr have also drawn condemnation from international human rights organisations and press freedom groups. 

 

Founded in 2013, Mada Masr has repeatedly applied for a licence to operate in Egypt, but its applications have either been rejected or left unanswered. 

 

The outlet's website has been blocked inside Egypt since 2017, although it has continued publishing investigations into government corruption, human rights abuses and other politically sensitive issues.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/07 November 2026 - - -