Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt’s Public Prosecution has issued an account of its investigation into six journalists from the independent fact-checking platform Matsda’sh, charging that the outlet was part of a Muslim Brotherhood media operation and that its staff spread false reports to undermine state institutions. The journalists deny some of the accusations, according to the prosecution’s statement, while the platform has rejected claims that it is affiliated with the group.
The prosecution said its investigation began after it received information from the National Security Agency. Authorities alleged that Muslim Brotherhood leaders living abroad had directed members to establish online pages and platforms, publish rumors and false statements, and encourage public anger and demonstrations. The statement identified Matsda’sh as one of those platforms, claiming it was managed by members of the group abroad and staffed by people inside Egypt.
According to the prosecution, it obtained an arrest and search warrant and detained six people. Lawyers for some of the journalists asked to attend the interrogations, and the prosecution said the suspects were questioned with their lawyers present. A member of the Press Syndicate also attended the questioning of the journalist who belongs to the union.
The prosecution’s account relies partly on statements it says were made by one of the detained journalists. It said he admitted that he and the other suspects, along with additional people, were members of the Muslim Brotherhood’s media committee and worked for the Matsda’sh page. The man allegedly told investigators that an overseas group member responsible for the platform held organizational meetings with them through communications applications and explained a plan to bring down state institutions.
The statement alleges that the journalists were instructed to publish fabricated stories and rumors about government institutions and officials. It further accuses them of highlighting shortcomings without covering other aspects of institutions’ work, disparaging officials, and amplifying labor and sector-specific disputes. Investigators also said the platform circulated material from other pages associated with the Brotherhood.
The prosecution said the same suspect told investigators that he and some colleagues received monthly payments in foreign currencies. It alleged the money was transferred through a bank from a company owned by a group member living abroad. The statement did not identify the company or specify the amounts involved.
Investigators said a review of the suspect’s phone uncovered closed groups on an encrypted messaging application, including the detained journalists and an alleged Brotherhood member abroad. They also reported finding emails from that person to the suspects. The prosecution said it examined the suspect’s social-media account and found posts it characterized as supportive of the Brotherhood and calling for the overthrow of the government. It said he acknowledged publishing them.
The other suspects, according to the prosecution, denied belonging to the Brotherhood, except for one who said he had been a member in the past but left before working at Matsda’sh. The statement said all six acknowledged working for the platform, which it described as being operated from outside Egypt, and that each had a role there. It also alleged that all but one received regular payments in US dollars transferred from abroad.
One of the suspects, the prosecution added, described the platform’s purpose as drawing attention to domestic problems, emphasizing negative conditions across sectors, and highlighting officials’ failures to address them. The prosecution said it viewed this as an effort to create public anger that could lead to protests against state institutions.
The statement also referred to social-media posts linked to one of the detained journalists who is a Press Syndicate member. Prosecutors said a technical examination attributed posts supportive of the Brotherhood to his account. The journalist denied publishing them, but the prosecution said its technical findings showed otherwise.
Egyptian authorities have denied allegations of torture or mistreatment. The Public Prosecution’s statement addressed claims of physical abuse, saying none of the six had visible injuries. It said three who alleged that force had been used against them were referred to the Forensic Medicine Authority, whose reports found no injuries or signs of violence.
