One month behind bars: RSF profiles the six Matsadaash journalists detained in Egypt

Six journalists from a single newsroom behind bars! This is what has happened to the Matsadaash team since 28 September. Founded in 2018, it is one of the region's few fact-checking platforms. Between 28 and 30 September, the journalists were initially subjected to enforced disappearance before the authorities acknowledged their arrests.

Among them is Abdullah Qadri, an investigative journalist with more than a decade of experience. His colleagues include Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emaira, who dreams of writing a book about independent journalism; Mohamed Adel, who strives to put people at the heart of complex economic stories; and Islam Barakat, who spends his free time reading history books to better understand the present. There is also Omar Hilal, the youngest at just 21, who had only recently joined the team. And Mohamed Mahmoud, a digital content expert who had recently embarked on a career in journalism.

"Professionals, not superstars." This is how an Egyptian journalist, who requested to remain anonymous for security reasons, described them to RSF. "One of them contacted me in 2024 about an article I had published on a political party in Egypt. He wanted to fact-check some information and find out how I had obtained certain figures. Their job is to make sure information is reliable." A fellow journalist in Cairo agrees: "Young journalists with solid professional backgrounds." As for the charge of affiliation with a terrorist group hanging over them, she dismisses it over the phone: "All journalists are accused of that here." It is an accusation levelled at most of the other 20 journalists currently detained in Egypt.

In a statement issued on 7 October, the prosecution claimed that the Matsadaash team had been involved in "a Muslim Brotherhood plot to overthrow state institutions". However, according to Lubna Darwish, advocacy director at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), which represents the journalists in court, questioning of the six newsroom members has focused on the nature of their journalistic work, editorial decision-making processes, how stories are selected, and their sources of information. Nevertheless, the Matsadaash reporters are clearly being treated as "terrorists" in detention: according to their lawyers, their arrests were carried out in a highly public manner, and they have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment. In addition to these six journalists based in Egypt, the outlet's director, Abdel Rahman Mansour, is now living in exile in the United States.

Profiles of the Matsadaash journalists

Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emaira, editorial assistant, 30

Journalism changed his life. That is what he used to tell his colleagues. Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emaira, a philosophy graduate of the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University, began his career at the renowned news website Mada Masr, recently banned in Egypt, where he reported on education, health, and the difficulties marginalised communities face in accessing public services. An investigative journalist specialising in fact-checking, he also contributed to the Lebanese regional news website Raseef22, for which he published a series of reports on human rights and social and cultural changes in Egypt. He joined Matsadaash in 2020 to produce investigations and help identify false information, as well as verify statements by politicians and other public figures circulating on social media. His dream? To write a book sharing his experience of independent journalism with the public - a field which, in his view, seeks to give a voice to the voiceless. He was arrested at his home in Cairo on 29 September.

Abdullah Qadri, investigative journalist and videographer, 35

With more than a decade of experience, investigative journalist and videographer Abdullah Qadri joined Matsadaash in 2023 as a video production specialist. He began his career as a trainee at the daily newspaper Al-Wafd, shortly after graduating from the Faculty of Mass Communication at Al-Azhar University in Cairo in 2013. He subsequently joined the news website Al-Masrawy, where he covered political and social affairs, followed by the privately owned, pro-Sisi news channel Sada El Balad, before moving to the daily newspaper Al-Shorouk. Abdullah Qadri also began contributing to the Lebanese regional news website Raseef22 and the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle. He had already been arrested twice before 2026. As a member of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, he is the only one entitled to have a representative of the syndicate present as an observer during questioning in detention - particularly gruelling sessions that can last up to eight hours.

Mohammed Adel, investigative journalist specialising in economics, 29

Ambitious, a dreamer, and passionate about journalism, since 2023 Mohammed Adel has been working at Matsadaash, where he has been responsible for simplifying and explaining complex economic issues. According to his colleagues, the young journalist was committed to making these subjects accessible to the general public by telling personal stories that reveal the tangible impact of government decisions on people's everyday lives. "An exceptional individual, distinguished by his dedication and expertise," wrote one of his colleagues in an opinion piece published on 13 October by the Lebanese news website Daraj Media, to which Mohammed Adel also contributed. Early in his career, he received journalism training at the Al Jazeera Academy, affiliated with the Qatari broadcaster, as well as training in investigative journalism and fact-checking through the Jordanian investigative journalism network Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), an RSF partner. Mohammed Adel also contributed to the Egyptian news website Muwatin. His skills earned him a role in a series of international investigations conducted by the financial crime investigative network Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), due to be published in November 2026. The journalist is also known as an ardent supporter of Zamalek, the famous Egyptian football club. "Like the team he loves, Mohamed relishes challenges, fights against all odds and finds ways to win with next to nothing," says Matsadaash director Abdel Rahman Mansour.

Islam Barakat, journalist specialising in human rights, 39

Islam Barakat joined Matsadaash in 2022, where he became a specialist in the meticulous analysis of statements made by government officials, media personalities, and other public figures. He checked the accuracy of their statements on a daily basis against available sources and data. An avid reader of history books, this investigative journalist and researcher specialises in human rights, religious freedom, and social issues. He graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University. Before joining Matsadaash, he worked as a researcher for the human rights organisation Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). He subsequently contributed to several media outlets, including the independent news website Mada Masr.

Mohamed Mahmoud, journalist, 26

After years spent developing editorial projects and training teams, Mohamed Mahmoud had only just embarked on a new venture: independent journalism. In August 2026, just a few weeks before his arrest, he joined Matsadaash as social media manager.A journalist and creative production specialist, he spent more than ten years designing content and training teams of content creators, both in Egypt and across the Arab world.

His career took him to media outlets including Abwaab and Sprints, and later to the Majarra media group, where he led creative teams in several countries across the region.

He also helped adapt content from international publications into Arabic, including Harvard Business Review, MIT Technology Review, and Popular Science. A 2022 graduate of the Faculty of Information Sciences at Al-Azhar University, Mohamed Mahmoud developed an early interest in design, visual production, and new ways of telling stories through journalism. Since then, he has continually explored the possibilities offered by digital formats to reach a wide audience. He had not even completed his second month at Matsadaash when he was arrested on 28 September.

Omar Hilal, journalist intern, 21

A "young journalist with big dreams", according to his colleagues, Omar Hilal, 21, the youngest member of the team, had only just joined Matsadaash in September 2026.

Still learning the newsroom's working practices, he had not even published his first byline when he was arrested on 29 September. A student at the Faculty of Agriculture at Suez University, he had gained practical journalism experience through short training courses at Mada Masr and the Jordanian podcast production platform Sowt. He subsequently joined the Alternative Academy of Arab Journalism, an educational initiative established by a coalition of independent media outlets in the region, including Mada Masr, Sowt, and the independent Lebanese online outlet Megaphone News.

Alongside his university studies, Omar Hilal was involved in charitable work with the Egyptian Red Crescent and the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA). "These initiatives paved his way into journalism," his colleagues say.

These profiles were produced with contributions from Avaaz, an international non-governmental organisation specialising in online activism, founded in 2007.