Press Releases

WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA) released the following statement calling for the release of detained Egyptian journalists:

“As the Democratic Co-Chair of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, I condemn the arrest of six journalists affiliated with the independent investigative journalism platform Matsadaash and call on the government of Egypt to release them immediately. 

"On September 28, Egyptian security forces raided the homes of and arrested Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira and Abdullah Qadri, both of whom are editors at Matsadaash. Later that day, Egyptian state security arrested four additional journalists, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Mohamed Adel, constituting the entirety of the newsroom. Authorities have not publicly issued charges against the journalists or justification for their arrest. 

"This comes after the Trump Administration shamefully released $320 million in military aid to Egypt which had been withheld due to human rights concerns.  

"Matsadaash has repeatedly been targeted by Egyptian authorities for its open-source investigative reporting. The recent arrest of its newsroom represents an alarming escalation of repression against independent media and freedom of expression in Egypt, particularly as some of the detainees report having been tortured.  Pursuant to its obligations as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture, Egypt must respect the rights of its citizens to freedom of expression and freedom from arbitrary detention and torture. 

"As a partner in the Defending Freedoms Project, which campaigns to free prisoners of conscience around the world, I demand that the Egyptian government release the six detained journalists immediately. I also call on authorities to refrain from further targeting of members of the Matsadaash platform and other press workers.”