{"id":2424,"date":"2023-08-23T11:13:54","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T11:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/egyptianforum.org\/?p=2424"},"modified":"2023-10-06T11:15:53","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T11:15:53","slug":"in-solidarity-with-egyptian-fact-checking-and-independent-media-platform-matsadaash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/egyptianforum.org\/en\/in-solidarity-with-egyptian-fact-checking-and-independent-media-platform-matsadaash\/","title":{"rendered":"In Solidarity with Egyptian Fact-Checking and Independent Media Platform Matsadaash"},"content":{"rendered":"

We, the undersigned civil society organizations, independent media outlets, and individuals, join together to stand in solidarity with <\/span>Egyptian fact-checking and independent media platform Matsadaash<\/span><\/a>, following its recent targeting by Egyptian security services.<\/span><\/p>\n

On August 19, 2023 at 1:00 am, Egyptian security forces <\/span>raided<\/span><\/a> the home of Matsadaash journalist Karim Asaad in al-Shorouk, Cairo, and arrested him. During the raid, forces <\/span>assaulted<\/span><\/a> Asaad and his wife, threatening to harm their two and a half year old son; logged into the Matsadaash platform and deleted two Facebook posts; and seized all phones and computers from the home, in addition to pieces of jewelry and 8,000 EGP. Following the raid, Asaad was taken into custody and forcibly disappeared, during which he was denied access to his attorneys at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. On the evening of August 20 at 10:00 pm, Asaad was released.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This incident took place following <\/span>heightened targeting<\/span><\/a> of the Matsadaash team around their coverage of <\/span>a story<\/span><\/a> involving a private plane that had been seized in Zambia, had originated in Egypt, and had 5.7 million USD in cash and 127 kilograms of gold-plated metal bars on board. Since the story broke, Matsadaash put a number of posts fact-checking and verifying the identity of the Egyptian nationals arrested alongside the plane\u2019s seizure; those arrested include gold merchants, defense contractors, and former and current Egyptian security officials. The two posts deleted by Egyptian security officials who gained access to the Matsadaash\u2019s Facebook page during the raid on Asaad\u2019s home detailed the identities of two of the six Egyptians detained in Zambia, one of whom was allegedly a former police officer and the other of whom was allegedly a former military officer.\u00a0 Over the last few months, Matsadaash has been the target of a vicious smear campaign and lawsuits directed at the platform and its staff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2018, Matsadaash was founded by the <\/span>late Egyptian journalist Mohamed Aboelgheit<\/span><\/a> while he resided abroad in London. The platform is made up of a group of Egyptian journalists committed to combating \u201cthe cascade of false or misleading news\u201d; to fact checking statements made by government officials, media professionals, and public figures; and to producing in-depth reporting and open-source investigations. Asaad is one of the platform\u2019s journalists, is a graduate of the Faculty of Mass Communication, and has been practicing as a journalist for the last ten years.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are grateful that Karim Asaad has since been released and we recognize the efforts of those involved in his timely release. However, we, the undersigned, take this opportunity to call on Egyptian authorities to bring to an end any harassment, prosecution, or targeting of Matsadaash and its team of journalists; to stop its targeting of independent media outlets and fact-checking platforms at large; and to promptly release all journalists who remain in custody.<\/span><\/p>\n

Independent journalism, open-source investigative work, and fact-checking are critical in any free society and Egyptian authorities\u2019 failure to allow free exercises of expression to thrive without restriction flies in the face of a purported commitment to dialogue and respect for human rights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Signatories<\/b><\/p>\n

Civil Society Organizations and Independent Media Outlets<\/strong><\/p>\n