Court Closes Mada Masr After Fine
Egyptian authorities released editor Lina Attalah after the outlet paid a 3 million pound penalty for operating an unlicensed website.
By Sarah Montgomery ·
A Cairo court ordered the independent news outlet Mada Masr to close its website after convicting its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, of managing an unlicensed publication. The ruling followed the brief detention of Attalah, who was released after the organization paid a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds.
The fine amount converts to approximately $53,500 or £40,100. Attalah had been taken into custody in the courtroom after a judge appointed a defense lawyer for her, according to her legal team. Security personnel detained her immediately after that appointment, a sequence her lawyers described as an ambush.
During the settlement of the current fine, her lawyer Hassan al-Azhari revealed a prior conviction. He stated that Attalah had been sentenced in absentia in 2024 to one year in prison and a 20,000 Egyptian pound fine. The defense has appealed that earlier sentence, and a new hearing is scheduled for November 11.
Mada Masr was founded by Attalah in 2013. The outlet stated that it applied for an operating license three years ago but never received a response from Egyptian authorities. Attalah has been arrested multiple times previously and gained international recognition during the 2011 Arab spring.
This verdict follows recent arrests of the six-person team at the factchecking platform Matsadaash, who were charged with belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, attended the hearing. He said the actions suggest security agencies are moving from harassing independent media to wiping it out completely.
International press freedom groups condemned the decision. Reporters Without Borders called the ruling outrageous and shameful, while the Committee to Protect Journalists noted that Egypt currently holds 25 journalists in prison. Amnesty International described the outcome as a crushing blow to press freedom in the country.
Pen International and several dozen civil society groups issued a joint statement noting that this is the sixth legal case against Mada Masr in six years. They characterized the referral to trial as a clear intent to permanently close the independent media space. The case follows President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s statements since August alleging a conspiracy to destabilize the nation.
