The editor-in-chief of independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr was detained for several hours after a court convicted her of managing an unlicensed website and ordered its closure, according to her lawyers. Mada Masr stated that Lina Attalah was released after the outlet paid a 3 million Egyptian pound fine ($53,500; £40,100) imposed by the New Cairo Misdemeanours Court, which represented the maximum possible penalty for a charge she had rejected.
Legal Proceedings and Courtroom Events
Attalah had been summoned for questioning by prosecutors regarding allegations of publishing false news and operating without a licence, which followed a report on prison protests and communications with the Supreme Media Regulatory Council (SMRC). After being released on bail, she was referred to trial at the New Cairo Misdemeanours Court. During the Tuesday hearing, Judge Mohammed Mubarak ordered the courtroom cleared except for Attalah, her eight-person defence team, and Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).
Bahgat told AFP news agency that security personnel entered before the judge denied defence procedural requests and appointed a lawyer from the Lawyers’ Syndicate to represent Attalah. Bahgat stated that Attalah objected to the court-appointed lawyer, but the judge refused to log the objection and instead dictated motions on behalf of the silent lawyer. The judge then announced the fine and ordered the closure of Mada Masr amid defence protests, leading to Attalah’s detention.
Mada Masr reported on Tuesday evening that it paid the full fine, securing Attalah’s release after several hours in custody. During the release procedures, Attalah discovered a separate one-year prison sentence issued against her in absentia in 2024 for publishing false news and managing an unlicensed website. Her lawyers initiated steps to challenge that ruling, with a retrial hearing scheduled for November 11.
Broader Press Freedom Concerns
Mada Masr noted that it had repeatedly sought an operating licence from the SMRC since the passage of a new media law in 2018, but applications were consistently rejected or left unanswered. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described Mada Masr, founded in 2013, as a vital source of critical reporting that has long faced pressure from authorities. Amnesty International stated that Attalah had faced years of harassment and intimidation, including six criminal investigations into the outlet’s reporting.
The development follows closely behind charges brought against six journalists from the independent fact-checking platform Matsda2sh for allegedly belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. According to the CPJ, Egypt remains one of the top global jailers of journalists, with 25 currently behind bars. Human rights groups report that President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has overseen an unprecedented crackdown on dissent since leading the 2013 overthrow of former President Mohammed Morsi, resulting in tens of thousands of detentions targeting Brotherhood members, activists, media workers, and academics.
Amnesty International senior director for regional impact Yasmine Ahmed called the verdict a dark day for independent journalism and a crushing blow to press freedom, demanding the ruling be overturned. CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah stated that the action signals that no independent journalist in Egypt is safe, adding that Attalah must be released and Mada Masr must be permitted to continue reporting.
