The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms/ECRF said in its September report on press and media freedom that courts continued to renew detention orders for journalists in state security cases. They also continue to prosecute them over their professional work or views posted on social media.
According to ECRF, 26 journalists and media workers were either held in pretrial detention or standing trial in September 2025. The last month saw repeated detention renewals and lengthy trials in cases of a political nature, the report noted. The customary litany of charges brought included “joining a terrorist group” and “spreading false news.”
Prolonged detention without a fair trial has become “a defining feature of the authorities’ treatment of journalists,” ECRF stated, noting that these measures ignore constitutional guarantees for press and media freedom.
At least four journalists had their detention renewed in September, ECRF said, naming Khaled Mamdouh, Sayed Saber, Ahmed Bayoumi and Mostafa El-Khatib. Only one release order was recorded, for journalist Donia Samir. Meanwhile, researcher and investigative journalist Ismail Alexandrani was detained.
Security forces arrested Alexandrani at a checkpoint near Marsa Matrouh late last month. The Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered him held for 15 days pending investigation in Case No. 6469 of 2025 (Supreme State Security), on charges of “broadcasting false news, joining a terrorist group, and using a website to promote extremist ideas.”
On Monday, his detention was renewed once again for another 15 days by the state prosecution. His detention comes less than two years after his release in December 2022 following seven years in prison over an earlier case dating to 2015.
Those currently in pretrial detention include Al Manassa cartoonist Ashraf Omar, who was arrested from his home on July 22, 2024, when plainclothes security forces raided the premises, blindfolded and handcuffed him, and took him to an undisclosed location. He was forcibly disappeared for two days, later appearing before the State Security Prosecution, which ordered his detention for 15 days following a six-hour interrogation. He has remained in pretrial custody since.
The ECRF report said constitutional provisions protecting press and media freedoms were not being implemented in practice. A “battery of laws restricting freedoms” continues to obstruct journalists’ work and the free flow of information. In addition, provisions in the Criminal Procedures Code still impose custodial penalties on journalists and there is no specific law guaranteeing access to information.
Citing Article 70 of the constitution, which guarantees freedom of the press and the right to publish newspapers and establish media outlets, ECRF said Law No. 180 of 2018 on media regulation. The Supreme Council for Media Regulation has curtailed those constitutional rights.
Article 6 of the 2018 law states: “It is not permitted to establish or operate websites inside Egypt, or branches of sites operating from abroad, except after obtaining a license from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation.”
The report also noted continued blocking and surveillance of Egyptian and Arab websites, and the use of Criminal Code Article 188 to level charges of “spreading false news” and “disturbing public peace” against journalists, while independent news sites have faced blocking since 2017.
ECRF said the Supreme Council for Media Regulation holds the power to block websites, blogs, and electronic accounts under the media law. This makes it a third body with blocking authority alongside the investigative and intelligence authorities named in the Cybercrime Law.
These measures conflict with Article 71 of the constitution, which prohibits censorship, confiscation, suspension, or closure of Egyptian newspapers and media outlets in any way. Article 71 further states, “No freedom restricting penalty shall be imposed for publication or publicity crimes.”
Egypt ranked 170th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders/RSF. RSF continues to categorize Egypt as “very dangerous” for journalists, marking it in dark red on its press freedom map.
The RSF report described Egypt as one of the world’s largest jailers of journalists and a country far removed from the hopes of the 2011 revolution. It added that state efforts to suppress coverage of the financial crisis have kept the country in the Index’s bottom ten.
RSF further reported that virtually all media are directly controlled by the state, the intelligence agencies, or a handful of wealthy, influential businessmen who are under the government’s thumb. By contrast, media outlets that refuse to submit to censorship are blocked.
Al Manassa is among the blocked websites. It has been blocked multiple times, most recently after launching a new version in July 2023.
Regarding the safety of journalists, RSF said, “Despite a few journalist releases resulting from pressure by activists, unions, and the international community, raids, newsroom closures, arrests, sham trials, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary detentions remain a daily reality for reporters in Egypt. It is not uncommon to witness smear campaigns against them, and surveillance is ubiquitous. Permits are required for travel to certain areas, such as the Sinai and the Suez Canal.”
