Lina Attalah, editor‑in‑chief of the independent Egyptian news portal Mada Masr, was released from custody after paying a 3 million Egyptian‑pound fine imposed by the New Cairo Misdemeanours Court. The court also ordered the portal’s closure, a move that Amnesty International has called a “crushing blow to press freedom.”
Attalah had been detained earlier in the week on accusations of operating an unlicensed website and publishing “false news.” She has long faced harassment, with six criminal investigations linked to the outlet’s reporting. The court’s decision came after a hearing in which the judge denied several procedural requests from Attalah’s defence team and appointed a lawyer from the Lawyers’ Syndicate without her consent.
During the hearing, security personnel entered the courtroom as the judge announced the fine and the closure order. Attalah was released after several hours in custody, and Mada Masr confirmed that the full fine had been paid. The outlet also revealed that Attalah had been sentenced to one year in prison in absentia in 2024 on the same charges.
Amnesty International’s senior director for regional impact, Yasmine Ahmed, warned that the ruling marks a dark day for independent journalism in Egypt. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) echoed the sentiment, calling for Attalah’s immediate release and the reopening of Mada Masr.
A retrial hearing is scheduled for 11 November, but the current verdict effectively silences one of the country’s last remaining critical media voices. The ruling comes amid a broader crackdown on dissent under President Abdul Fattah el‑Sisi, who has overseen the imprisonment of 25 journalists and the targeting of independent activists.
