{"id":5188,"date":"2026-10-28T17:28:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T17:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/egyptianforum.org\/?p=5188"},"modified":"2026-10-28T17:28:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T17:28:43","slug":"organizations-condemn-mada-masr-shutdown-stand-with-editor-in-chief-lina-attalah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/egyptianforum.org\/en\/organizations-condemn-mada-masr-shutdown-stand-with-editor-in-chief-lina-attalah\/","title":{"rendered":"Organizations condemn Mada Masr shutdown, stand with editor-in-chief Lina Attalah"},"content":{"rendered":"

We, the undersigned organizations, condemn in the strongest terms the <\/span>conviction<\/span><\/a> of Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr, and the court\u2019s order to shut down one of the country\u2019s leading and last remaining independent newsrooms. This is the latest episode in a new and escalating <\/span>crackdown<\/span><\/a> on Egypt\u2019s independent media. We call on the Egyptian authorities to allow Mada Masr to operate freely.<\/span><\/p>\n

This <\/span>unprecedented<\/span><\/a> attack on independent media began in late September with the <\/span>arrest<\/span><\/a> of six journalists from the investigative and fact-checking platform <\/span>Matsadaash<\/span><\/a>, some of whom told prosecutors they were tortured and forced to record fabricated \u201cconfessions.\u201d The campaign has since widened: Journalist <\/span>Rasha Azab<\/span><\/a> was summoned for questioning, and the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate has been targeted by a coordinated defamation campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the latest incident, the New Cairo Misdemeanor Court <\/span>convicted<\/span><\/a> Attalah of managing an unlicensed website and imposed the maximum penalty: a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds (about US$54,000), the closure of Mada Masr\u2019s website and the confiscation of its devices and equipment. Attalah was taken into custody inside the courthouse immediately after the ruling and released after 7 hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the release procedures, Attalah was surprised to discover an in absentia conviction issued against her in 2024\u2014sentencing her to one year in prison on charges of disseminating false news and operating a website without a license. Her defense team has filed an objection to the in absentia judgment, and a hearing has been scheduled for November 11 to review the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Attalah\u2019s trial was marked by serious violations of her right to a fair trial. According to <\/span>reports<\/span><\/a> from the hearing, journalists were excluded from the courtroom during critical stages of the proceedings, and the defense was prevented from being granted adequate time to review the case file and from presenting key procedural requests, including requests to submit documents and hear witnesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The reports also describe how the court appointed a lawyer for Lina despite her objections and the presence of her eight-member legal team, and proceeded to announce its verdict regardless.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mada Masr\u2019s legal team plans to appeal the ruling and pursue all available legal avenues to overturn it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Attalah was interrogated and <\/span>referred<\/span><\/a> to trial shortly after Mada Masr joined other Egyptian and regional outlets <\/span>in standing up<\/span><\/a> a solidarity flash newsroom to fill the gap in coverage following the arrest of the six Matsadaash journalists.<\/span><\/p>\n

The expanding arrest, closure and defamation campaign against independent media sends a clear message of fear and intimidation to newsrooms across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

We call on the Egyptian authorities to:<\/span><\/p>\n