Egypt must account for missing journalist Haidar Qandil

Washington, D.C., June 24, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately reveal the whereabouts of prominent journalist Haidar Qandil, who disappeared Monday after leaving his office, according to his family and several media outlets.

Freelance Egyptian journalist Iman Adel said in a Facebook post that she had been in contact with Qandil throughout the day as he documented the arrests of Egyptian Shias ahead of Ashura — a key religious commemoration — including members of his own family. 

“Haidar Qandil’s disappearance, seemingly in retaliation for his journalistic work, is another alarming indication of Egypt’s disregard for press freedom and the rule of law,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Egyptian authorities must immediately reveal his whereabouts, and, if he has been arrested, they must also ensure he has access to legal counsel and his family.” 

Qandil is a journalist and photographer with the daily newspaper Al-Dustour and has contributed to several independent outlets, including The New Arab, Zawia3, and Raseef22.

He was arrested on December 29, 2019, and forcibly disappeared until March 23, 2020, when prosecutors charged him and other Egyptian Shia Muslims with blasphemy. Though released on bail that August, On December 11, 2021, Cairo Airport authorities told him he was banned from traveling, confiscated his passport, and ordered him to report to the National Security headquarters to retrieve it.

According to Qandil, prior to his release in 2020, a national security officer warned him he would be banned from practicing journalism. Shortly after, a senior official at an outlet where he was previously employed informed him of his dismissal, explicitly stating it was due to security instructions.

Egyptian security forces have systematically used enforced disappearance — or state-sponsored arrest, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person’s fate or whereabouts — to target journalists, who are often mistreated prior to being presented with charges.

Egypt is one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, with 18 currently behind bars.

CPJ emailed Egypt’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.