AN editor of an independent news outlet in Scotland has been released after being detained by authorities whilst campaigning for Palestinians.
Nikita Jain, managing editor of Migrant Women Press (MWP), an independent publication based in Scotland aiming to help migrant women launch their journalism careers, was one of an estimated 200 activists and journalists detained by Egyptian authorities over the weekend.
The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) reported that the journalist, who was covering the Global March to Gaza for Maktoob Media, was among those detained in Ismailia, Egypt on Friday June 13.
NWMI also reported that the detainees had been dropped at Cairo Airport and Jain was one of those left stranded without access to her passport.
In a post on Twitter/X on Monday, MWP confirmed she had been released and was in contact with the Indian embassy in Egypt.
Hello everyone, thank you all for your support. Just sharing that Nikita shared she is safe, not detained anymore and is at the Indian embassy waiting for her passport to come back home.
— Migrant Women Press (@WomenMigrant) June 16, 2025
Founding editor, Juliana da Penha, told The National: "I am profoundly relieved that Nikita is safe. She is a fearless and exceptionally talented journalist.
"I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Independent Media Association for their support and for stating her arrest.
"Nikita’s efforts to report on the Global March to Gaza reflect her strong commitment to public interest journalism and underscore that solidarity with the Palestinian people goes beyond politics; it is a matter of fundamental human rights."
The Global March to Gaza was intended as a solidarity campaign, where thousands of individuals from across the globe intended to walk to the Rafah border crossing with Palestine to demand an end to Israel’s aid blockade.
On their official X/Twitter account, the organisation behind the march called Egypt’s detention of activists and journalists proof of their ‘complicity in the ongoing siege and genocide in Gaza’.
Two leaders of the movement were detained and processed for deportation on Monday, with many still reportedly being held by Egyptian authorities.
Saif Abukeshek, co-leader of the Global March to Gaza, wrote: “Even as we monitor these developments, our foremost concern remains with the people of Gaza, who continue to face unimaginable suffering.
“Our global movement to end the genocide of the Palestinian people will not be deterred. More actions and initiatives are already underway.”
