Egypt's Supreme State Security Prosecution has ordered six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsaddash held in pretrial detention for 15 days. They face terrorism-related charges, including joining and financing a terrorist group and spreading false news that prosecutors say disturbs public peace and security. The Journalists' Syndicate, Egypt's professional body for the press, has demanded their release and put its board into permanent session to follow the case.

The six, who made up the platform's entire editorial team, were arrested at their homes and other locations in Cairo and other governorates, and their phones and computers were seized. Lawyers and rights groups say their whereabouts were unclear for several days before they appeared before prosecutors. Matsaddash, whose name roughly means "don't believe it", was founded in 2018 and checks claims circulating in the media and on social networks.

In a statement, prosecutors said the defendants admitted working for the platform, which they described as linked to the media committee of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group Egypt designates as terrorist. They allege the journalists met a fugitive leader of the group abroad via social media apps and received monthly funding in foreign currency by bank transfer. According to prosecutors, one defendant admitted posting content supportive of the group, one said he had once belonged to it and left, and the rest denied membership. Lawyers present at the questioning say the accusations also include running a social media page meant to stir up a "revolutionary climate". The Interior Ministry earlier called the platform unlicensed and run from abroad. Matsaddash denies the allegations and says its archive contains hundreds of corrections of claims made by Brotherhood-affiliated figures and outlets.

The case has also raised allegations of mistreatment. The journalists reportedly told prosecutors they were tortured or abused before being brought before investigators. Prosecutors and the Interior Ministry deny this; prosecutors say three defendants alleged cruelty, were sent to the forensic medical authority, and that its reports found no injuries or signs of violence. A retired assistant interior minister, Amgad al-Shafei, called such claims repeated attempts to undermine trust in state institutions. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, which represents the journalists, says their testimony amounts to formal complaints requiring independent investigation, and notes that torture usually occurs in security-run facilities with few independent witnesses. The group also says one journalist was held under a counter-terrorism provision allowing detention of up to 14 days before judicial presentation, without access to family or a lawyer. Mr Shafei says all steps followed the law and were authorised by prosecutors. The syndicate has filed a complaint with the public prosecutor over the alleged abuse and coerced statements.

The syndicate says only one of the six is a member, while it describes the others as trainees. It says it will defend all practising journalists, member or not, and has asked for their release on its guarantee, citing their youth and limited experience. The case comes amid long-running criticism from local and international rights groups that terrorism and cybercrime laws are used against journalists, activists and opponents, which Egyptian authorities deny. Reporters Without Borders ranks Egypt 169th of 180 countries in its 2026 press freedom index. The government says the constitution guarantees press freedom and that its actions concern legal violations and national security, not journalism itself.