Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate says it will keep defending press freedom after criticism over six detained Matsadaash journalists, who lawyers say were tortured in custody. The authorities deny the allegations.
01Summary
- 01Khaled Elbalshy said the syndicate would continue to fight for press freedom after backing six detained journalists.
- 02The journalists — Mohamed Adel, Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud and Abdallah Qadry — were arrested on 28 and 29 September.
- 03They have been held in pretrial detention for 15 days and face accusations of joining a 'terrorist' group tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.
- 04The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said most of the six reported torture, including beatings, electric shocks and forced confessions.
- 05Matsadaash, founded in 2018, says it has no link to the Muslim Brotherhood and its website is blocked in Egypt.
02Why it matters
The case highlights the risks facing journalists in Egypt and the limits on press freedom. It also matters because allegations of torture and prolonged detention raise wider concerns about due process.
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