Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr, has been released from detention after the outlet paid a 3 million Egyptian pound fine. A Cairo court also ordered the website shut, prompting renewed concern from press freedom and human rights groups about restrictions on independent media in Egypt.
Attalah was briefly detained after the court convicted her of managing an unlicensed website. Her lawyer, Hassan al-Azhari, said she was released once the fine had been paid. He also told AFP that the legal team discovered Attalah had been sentenced in absentia in 2024 to a year in prison and fined 20,000 Egyptian pounds. Her defence team appealed, and a hearing was scheduled for 11 November.
Mada Masr says it applied for an operating licence three years ago but received no response from the authorities. The outlet was founded by Attalah in 2013. She has previously been arrested on several occasions and became known internationally during the 2011 Arab Spring.
The case comes after the arrest of all six members of independent factchecking platform Matsadaash, who were charged with belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the latest actions could signal a move from harassing independent media to eliminating it.
Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Amnesty International condemned the court’s decision. PEN International and several dozen civil society organisations also criticised the proceedings, saying the case marked an escalation in pressure on independent outlets and journalists.
Sources: The Guardian World.