Egypt arrests 6 journalists from fact-checking website over ‘terrorism’, ‘fake news’ charges

The six journalists - Abdullah Qadry, Mohammed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohammed Mahmoud and Mohammed Adel - were arrested during raids on their homes across Egypt. Egyptian authorities have charged six journalists working for independent fact-checking platform Matsda2sh with alleged links to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, days after security forces arrested the outlet’s entire newsroom, according to the BBC.The journalists were accused of joining a terrorist group, funding terrorism, publishing “fake news” and using social media to call for acts of terrorism, their lawyer Nabeh al-Ganadi said. Matsda2sh has denied the allegations.The six journalists - Abdullah Qadry, Mohammed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohammed Mahmoud and Mohammed Adel - were arrested during raids on their homes across Egypt on September 28 and 29, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).The EIPR said five of the journalists were remanded in custody for 15 days by the State Security Prosecution, while the sixth was still being interrogated.The arrests have drawn condemnation from international human rights and press freedom groups. The Committee to...