Khaled Mamdouh, a journalist for the news website Arabic Post, was arrested on July 16, 2024, and taken to an unknown location. During his arrest, his eldest son was physically assaulted by security forces, and his electronic devices, including his laptop and mobile phone, were seized.
After six days of enforced disappearance, Mamdouh appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) on July 21. The SSSP charged him with joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes, financing a terrorist group, and spreading false news. Mamdouh’s arrest report was dated July 20, not the date of his actual arrest on July 16, in what the Cairo-based human rights organization, Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) believes was an apparent attempt to cover up his enforced disappearance. Mamdouh’s lawyer told the Al-Manassa news site that there was not sufficient evidence for the charges.
Mamdouh is currently detained in Abu Zaabal Prison 3 in Qalyubia Governorate. A family member who spoke to the Egyptian Observatory for Journalism and Media said that Mamdouh has complained that the prison is unsanitary, leading to an outbreak of contagious skin conditions among the inmates.
Mamdouh previously worked as an anchor for the MBC Group for nearly 19 years and as a broadcaster for the European Program at Egyptian Radio (Maspero) for several years. His primary focus was sports journalism.
Mamdouh’s arrest comes amid a new wave of journalist detentions in Egypt.
The Ministry of Interior, responsible for the police, prison system, and prosecutor general’s office, did not respond to CPJ’s emails regarding Mamdouh’s case in late 2024.