Egypt arrests six journalists over alleged muslim brotherhood links

CAIRO: Egyptian authorities have arrested six journalists from the editorial team of fact-checking and investigative platform Mossadaq, accusing them of links to the banned Muslim Brotherhood and an alleged media network operating from abroad.

Egypt’s Interior Ministry said the journalists were allegedly working for a media network associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been banned in Egypt. Authorities also accused the group of receiving funding from outside the country and producing what they described as fabricated news.

According to the ministry, Mossadaq was being operated from outside Egypt and was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood’s media committee. Officials alleged that people inside Egypt prepared news material and sent it to organisers based abroad.

The arrests involve the platform’s entire editorial team of six journalists, according to the report. Egyptian authorities also said one of those detained is a member of the country’s journalists’ syndicate.

Mossadaq has rejected the allegations and denied having any links with the Muslim Brotherhood. The platform said it has been working since 2018 to verify information and challenge misinformation.

In a statement responding to the allegations, Mossadaq said its work has included fact-checking claims circulated by sources affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, arguing that its reporting record does not support the authorities’ accusations.

The arrests come against the backdrop of Egypt’s longstanding crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, which Cairo designated a terrorist organisation in 2013. The group’s members and supporters have faced arrests and prosecutions since the military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi that year.

Egyptian authorities have repeatedly accused organisations and individuals associated with the Brotherhood of spreading false information and attempting to destabilise the country. Rights groups, however, have frequently criticised Egypt’s restrictions on journalists, activists and independent media.

The latest arrests could therefore draw further attention to the balance between Egypt’s national-security measures and press freedom.

No independent evidence confirming the Interior Ministry’s allegations against the six journalists was provided in the report, while Mossadaq has firmly rejected the accusations.

The case is expected to raise fresh questions about the operating space available to independent fact-checking platforms and journalists in Egypt, particularly those reporting on politically sensitive issues.