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The Cairo prosecution summoned Mada Masr's editor-in-chief andÌýaward-winning journalistÌýÌýwith three other reporters for interrogation on WednesdayÌýto investigate complaints filed by a high-profile political partyÌýloyal to the Sisi regimeÌýover a news story on suspected corruption there, the independent news outlet in a statement.Ìý

"Mada Masr's defence team said the four journalists will attend the summons to answer [the required] questionsÌýwhile also adhering to the legal guarantees that safeguard their journalistic practice,"Ìýthe statement added.

In the news report, Mada MasrÌýÌýon 31 AugustÌýthat accusations of corruption against several senior members of Mostsaqbal Watan (the Nation's Future) party leaders were investigated by official oversight bodies, leading to a decision to expel them from the political scene.

As a result, several MPsÌýaffiliated with the partyÌýfiledÌýdozens of complaints across Egypt against the three female reporters: Rana Mamdouh, Sara Seif Eddin and Beesan Kassab, as well as the outlet's CEO.

The journalists have been accused of allegedly "spreading false news", among other charges, the same set of charges facing over 60 journalists currently behind bars in Egypt.

The Mada Masr lawyers had earlier petitioned the public prosecution to merge the complaints into one case.

On Tuesday, Mada Masr submitted a memorandum to press syndicate head Diaa Rashwan and the syndicate's boardÌýrequesting that a board representative be present during the interrogation andÌýthat the union's legal team follow up on the matter.

"The memorandum also asserted that the party’s aim in submitting complaints in various [provinces] was to fragment the efforts of the defendants'Ìýdefence and to cause them to miss scheduled appearances before [different] investigating bodies,"Ìýthe statement read.

"Such an aim would amount to an abuse of the right to litigation on the part of the MPs within the parliamentary majority,"Ìýthe outlet added.

A Mada Masr journalist, whose name was not specified by the outlet, had been over the weekend for interrogationÌýbefore Luxor prosecution in southern Egypt on Monday.

No further details were immediately available on the outcome of the interrogation conducted in Luxor.

The state of the media and journalism in EgyptÌýÌýsharply afterÌýthen-defence minister Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, overthrew the country's first democratically elected president,ÌýMohamed Morsi, on 3 July 2013.

Over 500 local and international websites of organisations and news outlets, includingÌýMada Masr, °®Âþµº andÌýHuman Rights Watch,Ìýhave been banned in the country.Ìý

In 2021, Egypt has beenÌýÌýthe world's third-worst jailer of journalists by theÌýÌýto Protect Journalists.