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A criminal court in Cairo has postponed the retrial of prominent Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, whose case has drawn international condemnation. Wednesday’s opening hearing was adjourned until 18 November after defence lawyers representing the editor-in-chief of Mada Masr requested a new judge.
Legal Challenges and Court Proceedings
Last month, the New Cairo Misdemeanours Court convicted Attalah of running a website without a licence—an authorization she stated she had tried for years to obtain in vain. The court issued a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds ($56,000; £42,000) and ordered Mada Masr to shut down.
Following that trial, Attalah discovered that a court had previously sentenced her in absentia to one year in prison in 2024 for “spreading false news” and operating a website without a licence, despite her presence in the country at the time. She is currently being retried in that case by the same judge. During the opening session, her defence team requested the judge’s recusal, arguing that he had already formed a conviction against the defendant, as reported by Mada Masr citing lawyer Hassan al-Azhar. Mada Masr added that Attalah’s appeal against last month’s conviction is scheduled for 25 November.
Press Freedom Concerns and UN Warnings
The United Nations has warned of widening assaults on independent journalists by Egyptian authorities. Attalah told BBC News that the recent crackdown was intended to send a chilling message to the remaining newsrooms, warning that everyone should wonder if they are next. Established 13 years ago, Mada Masr became Egypt’s leading independent news site, reporting on alleged corruption, human rights abuses, and providing coverage of politics, economics, and regional conflicts in Libya, Sudan, and Gaza.
Egypt ranks 169th out of 180 countries for press freedom according to a 2026 analysis by Reporters Without Borders, which noted that at least 26 arrested journalists remain in detention. In September, all six journalists from the independent fact-checking platform Matsda2sh were arrested during home raids and held incommunicado before facing charges of joining the Muslim Brotherhood and financing terrorism, with lawyers reporting physical abuse in detention.
Thameen Al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for the release of the Matsda2sh reporters, the dropping of all charges, and the overturning of steps taken against both Matsda2sh and Mada Masr. He stated that the case against Attalah raises fresh concerns regarding due process and fair trials.
International Reactions and Funding Context
Attalah suggested that the authorities might be attempting to silence independent voices amid economic strain and regional instability. The recent legal actions against journalists follow the US State Department’s decision in September to waive human rights conditions on $320m in foreign military funding for Egypt, releasing the funds as part of Washington’s annual $1.3bn military aid package.
When asked by BBC News whether he had raised the crackdown on independent journalism with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during a meeting in Paris, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said they did not discuss it. Rubio stated that foreign policy involves a balancing act to further US national interests and described Egypt as a reliable and good defence partner, adding that this does not mean agreeing with everything another government does or opining about their journalists.
Attalah’s appeal against her conviction from last month is scheduled to take place on 25 November.
