Egypt’s regime persecutes journalists

The assault on an Egyptian journalist, who was beaten and dragged along the ground outside 6 October Central Hospital, west of Cairo, just days ago, highlighted the risks journalists face in Egypt.

A video (https://h1.nu/1GKSf), widely shared on social media, shows around seven people beating and dragging journalist Mohamed Faisal and detaining him inside the hospital while he was reporting. One of the assailants claims to be an “army officer”, reflecting the wider security crackdown on Egyptians, particularly journalists.

Faisal, who works for the government-authorised website Besraha, received a public apology from Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, who also decided to terminate the contract with the security company responsible. The incident, however, reopened old wounds among journalists.

Since Abdel Fattah El-Sisi came to power in a military coup on 3 July 2013, journalists have faced repeated persecution. In 2026, Egypt ranked 169th out of 180 countries in the annual World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (https://h1.nu/1GKSB).

Arrests and Torture

The assault on Faisal came just days after journalists from Matsadaqsh, an independent fact-checking platform, called for medical examinations after being tortured and subjected to electric shocks to extract confessions. The Egyptian Public Prosecution later denied the claims.

On the evenings of 28 and 29 September, Egyptian security forces arrested the platform’s entire editorial team. Their phones and computers were seized from their homes, and their whereabouts were not disclosed. They were also denied contact with their families and lawyers, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent international organisation based in New York.

The detained journalists — Abdullah Qadri, Mohamed Ashraf Abu Omayra, Islam Barakat, Mohamed Adel, Omar Helal and Mohamed Mahmoud — said during questioning that they had been tortured and otherwise ill-treated to force them to record video statements incriminating themselves while in National Security Agency custody. They were subsequently brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which ordered their pretrial detention for 15 days in connection with case No. 8083 of 2026, according to Amnesty International (https://h1.nu/1GKTj).

In a statement titled “Torture of Matsadaqsh Journalists: State Policy, Not Just Individual Misconduct”, the independent Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies said that the torture, ill-treatment and enforced disappearance of Egyptian journalists reflected a recurring pattern and an almost established practice among security agencies in dealing with detained political opponents, human rights defenders and journalists (https://h1.nu/1GKTr).

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Systematic Targeting

The two incidents have once again drawn attention to press freedom in Egypt, both domestically and internationally, and sparked anger among journalists inside and outside the country. In two separate statements, the Freedoms Committee of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate described the assault on a journalist carrying out his professional duties as a crime punishable by law and a violation of the public’s right to know. It also said that the arrest of Matsadaqsh journalists violated the law and the Constitution.

Iman Ouf, head of the Freedoms Committee of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, said the arrest of more journalists, while others remain behind bars for years, was “a blatant disregard for the law and the Constitution, and a continuation of the policy of targeting journalists”.

The number of journalists imprisoned or detained in Egypt has reached 25 (https://h1.nu/1GKTZ), with concerns that more could be arrested in the coming period, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent website Mada Masr, is also facing an uncertain future as she faces trial on 27 October on charges of establishing and running an online platform without a licence. The case is registered under No. 9072 of 2026 with the Supreme State Security Prosecution.

Journalists in Egypt are often pursued on charges with a political character, including (joining a terrorist group, publishing false news, misusing social media, receiving foreign funding and highlighting shortcomings in state institutions).

A Green Light

A security source who spoke to Middle East Monitor on condition of anonymity said that El-Sisi had given the Interior Minister the “green light” to arrest all Matsadaqsh journalists. The source said the move followed a complaint made last month at a meeting with mayors and village representatives about reports published by the investigative platform that questioned the credibility of state institutions.

During his 13 years in power, El-Sisi has never officially visited the Journalists Syndicate’s headquarters in central Cairo. His presidency has also seen security forces storm the premises on 1 May 2016, in an unprecedented incident dubbed “Black Sunday”.

On Wednesday, 4 May 2016, journalists held an emergency general assembly at their syndicate headquarters, demanding the dismissal of then Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, the publication of his photograph in negative, an apology from El-Sisi and the release of journalists imprisoned over their work.

Elected head of the Journalists Syndicate in 2023, Khaled El-Balshy, a left-wing opposition figure, has yet to meet with El-Sisi in an official capacity, unlike previous syndicate heads, who traditionally met with the president. This reflects growing tensions between the presidency and the press in Egypt.

Days ago, El-Balshy reiterated that the syndicate would continue to demand respect for the rule of law and the constitutional guarantees of press freedom and freedom of publication. He also pledged to defend all journalists, whether or not they are members of the syndicate.

READ: Egypt: Authorities Arrest Entire Investigative Newsroom

Persecution Continues

The arrests and persecution of journalists in September were not unprecedented, nor was the targeting of the Matsadaqsh team an isolated incident. Human Rights Watch has documented “repeated arrests and prosecutions in Egypt targeting peaceful critics, human rights defenders, journalists and online content creators”.

On 22 July 2024, Egyptian security forces arrested Ashraf Omar, a cartoonist for the independent website Al-Manassa. Human rights organisations said he was beaten and threatened with electrocution.

Egyptian journalist Yasser Abu Al-Ela has been detained since March 2024. His wife, Naglaa Fathi, and her sister were also arrested on 27 April that year, reflecting a security practice of targeting detainees’ families as a form of collective punishment.

According to political researcher Amr El-Masry, independent journalism poses a threat to the military regime and could bring it down if given the opportunity. He described it as a driving force for social change after social media, noting that journalists are the boldest in expressing their views and criticising those in power, making them the first to be targeted.

The persecution of journalists is expanding to include security summonses, prosecutions, the blocking of newspapers, the takeover of media organisations, the dismissal of opposition journalists, travel bans, exclusion from official positions and restrictions on their sources of income.

Unofficial estimates suggest that more than 600 websites have been blocked in Egypt, including dozens of independent news outlets and human rights organisations. Personal social media pages and websites used to circumvent censorship have also been blocked, reflecting a broader effort to control the flow of information.

The persecution of journalists has intensified as some news platforms have exposed falsehoods in official statements during the Egypt Forum conference, which was held to showcase the government’s achievements. Their coverage of hunger strikes by detainees in several prisons has also contributed to this escalation. According to Qutb Al-Arabi, former assistant secretary-general of the Supreme Council for the Press, these platforms have challenged the single narrative that El-Sisi has succeeded in imposing on Egyptian public life.

The El-Sisi regime is in serious trouble. Imprisoning an entire journalistic team is not so much a sign of strength as an indication that the general’s position is becoming increasingly precarious as he faces a small but defiant journalistic force that refuses to be crushed under the treads of tanks.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.