The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed deep concern on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, over what it described as escalating assaults by Egyptian authorities on press freedom, calling for the immediate release of detained journalists and the dropping of charges arising from their legitimate journalistic work.
Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for High Commissioner Volker Türk, said at a press briefing in Geneva: "We are witnessing an escalation in assaults on press freedom by the Egyptian authorities, including the targeting, persecution and harassment of independent journalists. These worrying developments must be brought to an immediate end, and journalists must be enabled to carry out their vital work freely, without intimidation or reprisals."
The Office noted that six journalists who make up the entire editorial team of Matsadash, a fact-checking and verification platform, remain in detention: Mohamed Ashraf Abu Amira, Abdullah Qadri, Islam Barakat, Omar Hilal, Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel. Police arrested the platform's entire staff last September, accusing the six journalists of spreading misleading information on behalf of the banned Muslim Brotherhood — a charge the platform has denied.
The Office also noted that Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent news outlet Mada Masr, faces ongoing judicial harassment over her journalistic work. An Egyptian court convicted her last month of operating a website without a licence; she was detained before being released after paying a fine, and the court ordered the website closed. Attalah is due back in court this week in another case dating to 2024, raising fresh concerns about respect for due process and fair-trial guarantees.
The Office called on the Egyptian authorities to release all Matsadash journalists, drop charges arising from their legitimate journalistic work, reverse measures taken to obstruct the work of Matsadash and Mada Masr, and respect and give effect to the right to freedom of expression, including the right to seek information.
The UN statement comes amid mounting international criticism. Human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists, have documented about 25 to 26 journalists behind bars in Egypt as of early last October, while international rights and media organisations described the recent measures against Mada Masr and Matsadash as an unprecedented escalation against what remains of independent journalism in the country.
No official Egyptian response to the Commissioner's statement had been issued by the time of publication.
Sources: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, press briefing, Geneva, November 10, 2026; Reuters, November 10, 2026; UN News Arabic, November 10, 2026.
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