Egyptian journalists plan a weekend protest in Cairo after authorities charged six colleagues from the independent fact-checking platform Matsadaash with terrorism offences, according to reporting by The Guardian.
Egyptian authorities arrested the six journalists last week. In a statement, authorities accused them of operating without a license and producing false news on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is outlawed in Egypt. The Matsadaash staff have alleged they were tortured in police detention and forced to make confessions, The Guardian reports.
The planned protest represents a response from Egypt's journalist community to what it views as a crackdown on press freedom and independent news operations.