Egypt arrests 6 investigative journalists, accuses them of disinformation on behalf of the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’

Egyptian police have arrested six journalists from a media outlet specialising in fact-checking and investigations, accusing them of spreading disinformation on behalf of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, which the publication has denied.

The arrests included the entire newsroom of Matsaddash, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).

According to EIPR, plainclothes security personnel began raiding the journalists’ homes on Monday evening and confiscated electronic equipment.

Matsaddash denied being linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. In a statement, it pointed to reports it had published correcting what it described as disinformation published by media linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt banned the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group in 2013, the year the military ousted President Mohamed Morsi, a Brotherhood member who had been democratically elected.

Egyptian journalists and activists are frequently arrested on charges of spreading false news and rumours, and many independent media say they struggle to operate under restrictive conditions.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 19 journalists are currently detained in Egypt.