A New Cairo Misdemeanours Court convicted Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr, of managing an unlicensed website and ordered the publication’s closure. The court imposed a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds ($53,500; £40,100) — the maximum penalty available for the charge — and Attalah was taken into custody pending payment. She had disputed the allegations against her.
The case represents a significant escalation in pressure against independent media in Egypt. Mada Masr, established in 2013, has been a prominent source of critical reporting and sought an operating license from the Supreme Media Regulatory Council multiple times since a 2018 media law took effect, though applications were either rejected or ignored. Attalah had faced numerous criminal investigations related to the outlet’s reporting over several years, including allegations of publishing false information and unauthorized website operation.
According to observers present at the proceedings, the trial featured procedural irregularities. The judge cleared the courtroom before announcing the verdict, denied multiple defense requests, appointed a lawyer to represent Attalah despite her objections, and then dictated legal motions on behalf of the court-appointed counsel without that attorney contributing to the proceedings.
The conviction drew condemnation from international press freedom advocates. Amnesty International characterized the ruling as damaging to journalistic freedom in Egypt, while the Committee to Protect Journalists warned that the detention of a prominent editor threatens the security of all independent journalists operating in the country. The case comes weeks after six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsda2sh were charged with belonging to a banned organization.
Egypt currently holds approximately 25 journalists in detention, placing it among the world’s leading jailers of press professionals, according to press freedom organizations. Human rights groups attribute the broader environment to government crackdowns on dissent that intensified following leadership changes in 2013.
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