Police deployed around Cairo journalists' syndicate, amid international calls to free reporters

Egyptian police on Saturday were heavily deployed outside the journalists’ syndicate in Cairo in a bid to prevent protests from taking place, amid international criticism over the detention of the entire Matsad’ash fact-checking platform’s staff.

Security cordons were placed around the roads leading to the journalists’ syndicate, located in downtown Cairo, preventing people from passing through the area.

Police also set up security barriers to search passers-by, and asked people to show their ID to verify and confirm they were not journalists.

Dozens of cars were stopped in the area by plain-clothed soldiers who were deployed in the event of a protest breaking out.

This comes as officials in the journalist’s union council called people to attend a vigil, but warned them not to take part in any demonstrations on the union steps, in order to prevent a potential clash with police.

This comes after six journalists from the independent fact-checking platform were detained after their homes were raided on 28 September.

The journalists have been identified as Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Abdallah Qadry, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud and Mohamed Adel.

The development also comes as the journalists’ syndicate submitted two requests to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Attorney General of the Supreme State Security Prosecution on Saturday morning, demanding answers over reports which state that the journalists have been arrested for 15 days pending investigations.

The union said in their request that five of the detained journalists were trainees, and that their primary concern is to protect media workers, whether they are registered with them, trainees, or otherwise.

They also confirmed that they have not been informed of any investigations being carried out with the detained journalists when they went to the prosecutor’s office, so reports circulating in the media had been surprising.

The case has triggered widespread concerns as the syndicate has not been notified of the charges against the journalists, the case number, their whereabouts ot if they have been interrogated.

Human Rights Watch on Friday condemned the arrests, stating that authorities in Cairo routinely flout due process protections and forcibly disappear people.

“Egyptian authorities’ simultaneous arrest of the entire newsroom at a prominent independent news platform is deeply alarming,” said Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“Dismantling an entire newsroom in a matter of hours without warning or cause sends a chilling message to all journalists working in Egypt and shows just how little space is left there for critical reporting,” Khawaja added.

Reporters Without Borders this week condemned Egyptian authorities' actions, stating: "It's a violation of the Egyptian Constitution, even though this is common practice. Journalists detained in Egypt are often forcibly disappeared for several days before being officially charged and brought before a court.”

Sara Qudah, Middle East and North Africa Regional Director for the Committee to Protect Journalists, told The New Arab earlier this week that action must be taken to find the whereabouts of the journalists and secure their release.

"CPJ is appalled by the arrests of Egyptian journalists Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira, Abdallah Qadry, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Mohamed Adel, effectively detaining Matsadaash investigative media platform's entire newsroom," she said.

The Matsad’ash platform was founded in 2018, with staff members working to correct misleading or inaccurate information from various sources, including from within Egypt and the broader region.