An Egyptian court ordered the closure of independent news outlet Mada Masr on Tuesday and convicted its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, of operating a website without a license, delivering a blow to the country’s press freedom.
Court Room Clash and Detention Order
During the session at a Cairo misdemeanor court, the presiding judge rejected all procedural requests brought forward by the defense team and instructed lawyers to immediately deliver their closing arguments, according to Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. When Attalah’s eight defense attorneys refused, the judge brought in a court-appointed lawyer none of them knew, over vocal objections from both the legal team and Attalah herself, Bahgat noted.
بعد سداد الغرامة، أخلي سبيل رئيسة تحرير «مدى مصر»، لينا عطا الله بعد سبع ساعات من احتجازها من قاعة محكمة جنح القاهرة الجديدة، اليوم، عقب الجلسة الأولى لنظر القضية رقم 11743 لسنة 2026 المتهمة فيها بـ«إدارة موقع بدون ترخيص»، والتي حُكم فيها بغرامة ثلاثة ملايين جنيه فضلًا عن غلق… pic.twitter.com/vQGCjnsUgO
The court convicted Attalah of managing an unlicensed website and ordered her to pay a fine equivalent to more than $50,000. Following the verdict, the judge ordered Attalah detained until the fine was settled. Although the financial penalty was paid a few hours later, Attalah’s current whereabouts remain unknown, according to social media updates published by Mada Masr.
In Absentia Sentences and Upcoming Retrial Dates
Upon her release, Attalah learned a one-year prison sentence was issued against her in absentia in 2024 on separate charges of publishing false news and operating an unlicensed website. Her lawyers challenged the ruling, and a retrial is scheduled for Nov. 11, as reported by Mada Masr.
The publication stated that it first applied for official licensing in 2018 but never received any response. Authorities have blocked its website inside Egypt since 2017, and the outlet reports that this is the sixth case brought against it or its journalists in six years.
Wider Crackdown on Egyptian Investigative Journalism
The judiciary’s actions triggered swift condemnation from international human rights organizations and press freedom advocates. “If Egypt can put in custody one of its most respected editors and shut down her newsroom, no independent journalist in the country is safe,” Sara Qudah, regional director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a public statement.
Amnesty International echoed those concerns, stating that the measures send a ruthless message that critical reporting will not be tolerated. Khaled Elbalshy, head of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, described the case as a wake-up call that runs directly counter to demands for media reform and the removal of press restrictions.
The legal pressure extends beyond Mada Masr. On Tuesday, Egyptian prosecutors extended the pre-trial detention of six journalists from the Matsadaash investigative platform by another 15 days. Those reporters were arrested in late September on accusations of joining and financing a terrorist group and spreading false information, continuing a pattern that places Egypt 169th among 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index.
