Egyptian Court Shuts Mada Masr, Detains Editor Lina Attalah
WHO:
ABC News - Lina Attalah is also Mada Masr’s founder.
ABC News - Attalah’s lead lawyer, Hassan el-Azhary, said the outlet planned to appeal the closure order.
ABC News - Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the judge rejected the defense’s procedural requests and brought in a court-appointed lawyer after Attalah’s eight lawyers refused to give closing arguments.
ABC News - Khaled Elbalshy, head of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, said the organization supported Attalah’s case.
BBC News - Lina Attalah is the editor of independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr.
IJR - Lina Attalah is Mada Masr’s editor-in-chief.
BBC News - Amnesty International said the verdict against Attalah and Mada Masr represented “a crushing blow to press freedom.”
IJR - Press freedom groups condemned the ruling and raised due-process concerns.
IJR - Egyptian authorities say media must comply with the law and respect national security.
WHAT:
ABC News - Mada Masr investigated corruption, the expanding role of Egypt’s military, and human rights violations.
ABC News - Human Rights Watch called the prosecution of Attalah an escalation of an “outrageous attack on independent media.”
ABC News - Amnesty International said the authorities were sending a “clear and ruthless message” that “critical, independent reporting will not be tolerated.”
ABC News - Amnesty International and 118 other civil society groups and independent media outlets worldwide called on Egyptian authorities to stop targeting Mada Masr and grant it a license.
ABC News - The court-appointed lawyer was unknown to Attalah’s eight lawyers, and the judge declined to record Attalah’s rejection of the lawyer.
ABC News - Matsadaash said its six journalists’ pre-trial detention was extended without new questioning, a chance to respond to the accusations, or evidence supporting them.
ABC News - The fine was equivalent to about $53,400 and was paid a few hours after the verdict; Mada Masr said Attalah’s whereabouts remained unknown.
ABC News - Mada Masr said it applied for a license in 2018 but received no answer, its website had been blocked inside Egypt since 2017, and this was the sixth case brought against the outlet or its journalists in six years.
ABC News - Egyptian prosecutors extended the pre-trial detention of all six journalists from investigative platform Matsadaash by 15 days.
ABC News - Reporters Without Borders ranked Egypt 169th of 180 countries in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index.
BBC News - An Egyptian court ordered the closure of Mada Masr and detained Lina Attalah.
IJR - An Egyptian court convicted Attalah of operating an unlicensed website, fined her 3 million Egyptian pounds, ordered Mada Masr closed, and ordered its equipment confiscated.
IJR - Attalah was detained pending payment of the fine.
WHERE:
ABC News - The hearing took place at a Cairo misdemeanor court.
BBC News - The court action took place in Egypt and concerned Egyptian outlet Mada Masr.
IJR - The court action took place in Egypt.
WHY:
ABC News - State security prosecutors summoned Attalah on charges of publishing false news and operating without a license, then referred her to trial on the licensing charge.
ABC News - Matsadaash reporters were arrested on allegations of joining and financing a terrorist group and spreading false information.
IJR - The stated basis for Attalah’s conviction was operating an unlicensed website.
IJR - Egyptian authorities say media must comply with the law and respect national security.
HOW:
IJR - The court ordered Mada Masr’s equipment confiscated and detained Attalah pending payment of the fine.
(UPDATED October 27, 2026 21:07 UTC)
An Egyptian court convicted Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief and founder of independent outlet Mada Masr, of operating an unlicensed website, fined her 3 million Egyptian pounds, ordered the outlet closed and its equipment confiscated, and detained her pending payment; the fine was paid, but Mada Masr said her whereabouts remained unknown. Attalah’s lawyers said they would appeal, while press freedom groups condemned the ruling and raised due-process concerns, including the judge’s appointment of a lawyer after her eight lawyers refused to deliver closing arguments. The case follows years of pressure on Mada Masr, whose website has been blocked in Egypt since 2017, as prosecutors also extended the pretrial detention of six journalists from investigative platform Matsadaash, accused of joining and financing a terrorist group and spreading false information.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 20:07 UTC)
An Egyptian court convicted Mada Masr editor Lina Attalah of operating an unlicensed website, fined her 3 million Egyptian pounds, ordered the outlet closed and its equipment confiscated, and detained her until the fine was paid. Mada Masr said it paid the roughly $53,400 fine within hours, but Attalah’s whereabouts remained unknown, and her lawyer said the outlet planned to appeal. Press freedom groups condemned the ruling, while Egyptian authorities say media must follow the law and respect national security.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 19:08 UTC)
An Egyptian court convicted Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of independent outlet Mada Masr, of operating an unlicensed website and fined her 3 million Egyptian pounds. The court ordered the outlet closed and its equipment confiscated, and detained Attalah pending payment of the fine. Press freedom groups condemned the ruling and raised due-process concerns, while Amnesty International called it “a crushing blow to press freedom”; Egyptian authorities say media must obey the law and respect national security.