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Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent news outlet “Mada Masr”, has been detained after a court convicted her of managing an unlicensed website and ordered the outlet to close, her lawyers say. The BBC reported that she will remain in custody until she pays a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds ($53,500; £40,100).
The New Cairo Misdemeanours Court imposed the maximum penalty for the charge, which Attalah had rejected. Amnesty International said the verdict was “a crushing blow to press freedom”.
Case followed investigation into “Mada Masr”
Last week, prosecutors summoned Attalah for questioning over allegations of publishing “false news” and operating a website without a licence. She was released on bail and later referred to trial at the New Cairo Misdemeanours Court.
According to “Mada Masr”’s lawyer, the investigation covered a recent report by the outlet about a wave of protests in prisons across Egypt, as well as a letter from the Supreme Media Regulatory Council (SMRC) concerning its legal status.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Mohammed Mubarak ordered everyone except Attalah, her eight-person defence team and Hossam Bahgat, head of the independent Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), to leave the courtroom.
Bahgat told AFP that security personnel then entered the courtroom. The judge rejected several procedural requests from the defence and appointed a lawyer to represent Attalah, he said. Bahgat said Attalah objected to the appointment, but the judge refused to record her objection in the court minutes. He added that the judge dictated motions on behalf of the appointed lawyer, who had not spoken.
The judge then announced the fine and ordered “Mada Masr” to close, amid protests from the defence, Bahgat said. Attalah was detained afterward.
Press freedom groups condemn verdict
Amnesty International said Attalah had faced “years of harassment and intimidation”, including six criminal investigations related to “Mada Masr”’s reporting. The organisation called for the verdict to be overturned, describing it as “a dark day for independent journalism” in Egypt.
“This draconian ruling is the culmination of years of relentless harassment and unjust proceedings designed to shut down one of the country’s last remaining independent media voices,” said Yasmine Ahmed, Amnesty International’s senior director for regional impact. “Lina Attalah should never have been prosecuted for exercising her right to freedom of expression and doing her journalistic job.”
Sara Qudah, regional director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said: “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. Attalah must be released immediately, and Mada Masr must be allowed to keep reporting.”
The CPJ says 25 journalists are currently behind bars in Egypt, which it lists among the world’s leading jailers of journalists. The organisation described “Mada Masr”, founded in 2013, as a vital source of critical reporting that has long faced pressure from the authorities.
The outlet has repeatedly applied for an operating licence from the SMRC since a new media law was passed in 2018, but the applications were either rejected or left unanswered, the CPJ said.
The case comes weeks after six journalists working for the independent fact-checking platform “Matsda2sh” were charged with belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has overseen what human rights groups describe as an unprecedented crackdown on dissent since he led the military overthrow of his predecessor, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi, in 2013. Tens of thousands of people have been detained, mainly Muslim Brotherhood officials and supporters, as well as secular and liberal activists, media workers and academics.
