Egyptian Court Fines and Detains Editor Lina Attalah, Orders Mada Masr Closed

Egyptian security forces detained prominent journalist Lina Attalah on Tuesday after a court fined her three million Egyptian pounds and ordered the closure of her independent news website, Mada Masr. Ms. Attalah serves as the editor-in-chief of the outlet. The court imposed the maximum possible penalty for the misdemeanour charge of operating the website without a licence. Mada Masr stated that it has received no response from authorities regarding its licence application since 2023. Following the verdict, security personnel surrounded Ms. Attalah, lifted her off the ground, and removed her from the courtroom to keep her in custody. Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, witnessed the proceedings and described how the judge appointed a lawyer from the Lawyers' Syndicate despite objections from the eight-person defence team. The judge then dictated motions on behalf of this appointed lawyer before delivering the fine and closure order amid protests. Her defence team is currently working to secure her release on bail. Rights groups describe the trial as a sharp escalation in Cairo's press freedom crackdown. This case represents the sixth legal action brought against Ms. Attalah and Mada Masr over the past six years, though none of the previous cases reached trial. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights maintains a tally showing that Egypt currently holds 26 journalists over their work. International and domestic organisations, including Reporters Without Borders, condemned the ruling, demanding her immediate release and the overturning of the decision.

Context

This development comes weeks after authorities arrested six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsadaash on terrorism and fake news charges. Egypt has faced long-standing international criticism regarding restrictions on independent media and journalists. Press freedom organisations frequently report that legal measures and pretrial detentions are used to target independent reporting in the country.