Dozens of journalists staged a sit-in in Cairo on Saturday, demanding the release of six of their colleagues who make up the entire work team of the “Don’t Believe” platform, which the authorities described as “unlicensed,” in what human rights activists considered an escalation of pressure on the press in Egypt. Cairo faces local and international criticism against the backdrop of violations of human rights, freedom of expression, and the circulation of information by detaining individuals in pretrial detention for long periods on charges of spreading false news or misusing social media sites...

Published on: 03/10/2026 - 19:18 Last updated: 03/10/2026 - 19:18

Dozens of journalists staged a sit-in in the Egyptian capital on Saturday to demand the release of their colleagues working for the “Don’t Believe” platform.

Earlier this week, the authorities suspended the independent platform team specialized in verifying content and fact-checking. The whereabouts of the journalists are still unknown, and no official charges have been brought against them.

"Open sit-in"

Dozens gathered in Cairo in front of the headquarters of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, which announced in a statement that its general assembly was now in a state of “permanent session and open sit-in... until the Syndicate Council meets on Monday and announces the next step.”

Journalist Mustafa Bassiouni said during the sit-in, “The danger is not only to the journalists of “Don’t Believe.” The danger includes all independent journalists.” He also warned of "a real danger to the very narrow spaces of independent journalism."

“Mtsadakish” defines itself as “an independent platform specialized in verifying Egyptian and Arabic content and producing open source reports and investigations,” and it has more than a million followers on Facebook.

She stressed that all the detained journalists “perform their work openly and have very distinguished professional paths in well-known Egyptian journalistic and media institutions.”

The arrest of the journalists sparked widespread criticism and fear of additional restrictions on freedom of the press and expression.

Regional and international condemnation

More than 80 regional and international organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, and the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the arrest and demanded the immediate release of the six journalists.

Bassam Khawaja, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Human Rights Watch, said, “The dismantling of an entire newsroom within hours, without warning or reason, sends a frightening message to all journalists working in Egypt.”

For its part, the Ministry of Interior on Thursday confirmed the arrest of the journalists, justifying this by saying that the platform is “unlicensed and managed from abroad,” and “deals with broadcasting false news and distorting facts,” accusing it of being linked to “the media committees of the terrorist Brotherhood,” which is banned in Egypt.

"Don't believe it" denied its affiliation with any political group, noting that it had previously published reports to refute "false statements and news promoted by parties and personalities affiliated with the Brotherhood."

This comes in a context in which Cairo faces local and international criticism against the backdrop of violations of human rights, freedom of expression, and the circulation of information by detaining individuals in pretrial detention for a long period on charges of spreading false news, misusing social media sites, or joining the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in the country.

The Egyptian Constitution prohibits imprisonment in publishing cases, but the number of journalists in prisons has reached 26 after the arrest of the “Don’t Believe” journalists, according to statistics from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and the Journalists Syndicate.

Egypt ranks 169th on the Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders out of 180 countries.

France 24/AFP

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