Egyptian Court Orders Closure of Independent News Outlet, Detains Editor
Mada Masr's editor-in-chief was convicted of operating a website without a license, marking a significant blow to press freedom in the country.
An Egyptian court on Tuesday ordered the closure of Mada Masr, one of the nation's last independent news outlets, and convicted its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, of operating a website without a license. The verdict also includes a fine equivalent to approximately $53,400, with Attalah ordered detained until the payment is made.
Mada Masr is known for its investigative reporting on corruption, the military's expanding role, and human rights issues in Egypt, where media is tightly controlled. Human Rights Watch had described the prosecution of Attalah as an "outrageous attack on independent media."
Amnesty International stated that the decision is a "crushing blow to press freedom in Egypt" and sends a "clear and ruthless message that critical, independent reporting will not be tolerated." Although the fine was paid a few hours after the verdict, Attalah's whereabouts remained unknown, according to a Mada Masr statement.
During the court session, defense lawyers' procedural requests were rejected, and they were pressured to present closing arguments. When Attalah's legal team refused, a court-appointed lawyer was assigned, despite strong objections from the defense and Attalah herself. Her rejection of this lawyer was not entered into the record, according to Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
State security prosecutors had summoned Attalah last week on charges of publishing false news and operating without a license, proceeding to trial on the latter charge. Mada Masr reported first applying for a license in 2018 but never receiving a response. The outlet's website has been blocked in Egypt since 2017, and this marks the sixth case brought against the outlet or its journalists in six years.
In late September, Egypt extended the pre-trial detention of six journalists from the investigative platform Matsadaash for an additional 15 days. These journalists were arrested on charges including joining and financing a terrorist group and spreading false information.
Egypt ranks 169th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, reflecting a broader crackdown on independent media within the country.