Egyptian journalists are set to hold a protest in Cairo this weekend, voicing strong opposition to the recent detention and alleged torture of six colleagues. The journalists, affiliated with the independent fact-checking platform Matsadaash, were arrested last week and subsequently charged with terrorism offenses.

Authorities accused the six – Abdallah Qadri, Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Mohamed Adel, Islam Barakat, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Omar Helal – of operating without licenses and disseminating false information on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization outlawed in Egypt. The arrests, carried out by plainclothes officers at the journalists' homes and in public spaces, have raised significant concerns within the journalistic community.

According to lawyers representing the detained, all six journalists have reported experiencing torture and being coerced into making false confessions while in police custody. These allegations have been formally denied by the police. "We were horrified by the news of the torture of our six colleagues," stated Hadeer El-Mahdawy, a member of the protest's organizing committee, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

In response to the torture claims, Egypt's public prosecution issued a statement indicating that forensic examinations of three journalists who alleged mistreatment revealed no signs of injury or violence. This statement has been met with skepticism by press freedom advocates.

The wave of arrests has extended beyond the Matsadaash journalists. Rasha Azab, another journalist, was questioned by the supreme state security prosecution for a social media post critical of the interior ministry's actions regarding the Matsadaash arrests. Although released on bail, Azab faces charges of using a website to promote terrorist ideologies. Her legal counsel highlighted that prosecutors presented 11 identical complaints from various regions concerning the same social media post.

Lobna Darwish, representing the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate, confirmed that syndicate lawyers are providing legal support to the detained Matsadaash staff. This situation is seen by many as part of a broader pattern of increasing pressure on independent media within Egypt.

Press freedom organizations have consistently raised alarms about the shrinking space for independent journalism in Egypt. The government maintains that its actions are aimed at combating terrorism and maintaining national security, while critics argue these measures stifle dissent and critical reporting.

The upcoming protest is expected to draw attention to the detention of the Matsadaash journalists and highlight broader concerns about press freedom and the treatment of media professionals in the country.