Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF) condemns the targeting and arrest of journalists Mohamed Ashraf and Abdallah Kadry, editors at the independent fact-checking platform Matsada2sh, and expresses grave concern over the authorities’ failure to disclose their whereabouts or the reasons for their arrest. The ongoing refusal to provide information about their location or allow them access to their families and lawyers raises serious concerns that they may be subjected to enforced disappearance in connection with their journalistic work.
According to a statement issued by Matsada2sh on the evening of 29 September 2026, security forces arrested Mohamed Ashraf and Abdallah Kadry after raiding their homes on the evening of 28 September 2026 and confiscating their mobile phones and personal computers. As of the time the statement was issued, more than 16 hours after their arrest, no information had been provided regarding the reasons for their detention, the authority responsible for holding or investigating them, or their whereabouts.
LDSF is deeply concerned that both journalists remain held incommunicado and that their whereabouts have not been officially disclosed, in violation of fundamental legal safeguards, including their right to communicate with their families and legal representatives and their right to be informed of the legal basis for the measures taken against them.
The Foundation stresses that legitimate journalistic work must never be grounds for prosecution or detention. Targeting journalists for carrying out their professional duties or for the content they publish or contribute to producing constitutes a violation of freedom of the press and the public’s right to seek, receive, and impart information.
The arrest of Mohamed Ashraf and Abdallah Kadry is not an isolated incident, but rather forms part of the broader deterioration of press freedom and freedom of expression in Egypt. Journalists and media professionals continue to face arbitrary detention, prolonged pretrial detention, and criminal prosecution in connection with their professional work or for publishing content related to public affairs. At the same time, authorities continue to impose extensive restrictions on the media environment through the blocking of independent websites and the use of administrative and regulatory measures that undermine media pluralism and further shrink the space available for independent journalism and the public’s right to information.
LDSF holds the Egyptian authorities fully responsible for the safety and well-being of Mohamed Ashraf and Abdallah Kadry and calls for the immediate disclosure of their fate and whereabouts, prompt access to their lawyers and families, and full respect for all legal guarantees and due process rights provided under the Constitution and the law. The Foundation further calls for their immediate and unconditional release and for an end to the targeting of journalists and independent media outlets for carrying out their legitimate work.
LDSF reiterates that journalism is not a crime and must never be treated as one, and that protecting journalists and ensuring their ability to work freely and safely is a fundamental pillar of any society that respects freedom of expression and the public’s right to information.
