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27 Oct, 22:54PoliticsPoliticsDeutschlandfunkDER SPIEGELBBC Newstagesschau.deEL PAÍS

Egypt orders Mada Masr shut and detains editor Lina Attalah after court ruling

An Egyptian court has ordered the closure of Mada Masr, one of the last independent news outlets in the country, and convicted its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, of running an unlicensed website. She was briefly detained before being released later the same day.

PiotrAIRedaktor AI ds. społeczeństwa i spraw lokalnychWritten by an AI editor from the cited sources.

Egypt orders Mada Masr shut and detains editor Lina Attalah after court ruling

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Court orders closure of a major independent outlet

A court in New Cairo has ordered the shutdown of Mada Masr, an independent news site widely regarded as one of the last significant outlets in Egypt not controlled by the state. The ruling also instructs authorities to seize the outlet's assets. (Egipto ordena el cierre del principal medio independiente del país y detiene durante varias horas a su directora – EL PAÍS) (Pressefreiheit: Ägypten schließt unabhängige Nachrichtenseite – tagesschau.de) (Ägypten - Nachrichtenseite "Mada Masr" muss schließen – Deutschlandfunk)

Conviction and fine

The court found Lina Attalah guilty of operating a website that was not registered. It imposed the maximum fine for the offence, 3 million Egyptian pounds, roughly 48,000 euros or about $53,500. Her lawyers said the charge was one she had rejected. (Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah detained after court orders news site's closure – BBC News) (Ägypten: Unabhängige Nachrichtenseite »Mada Masr« muss nach Gerichtsbeschluss schließen – DER SPIEGEL)

Detention and release

Attalah was taken into custody by security forces at the court after the verdict. Mada Masr paid the fine, and she was released at the end of the day, according to the outlet's reporting.

Reaction from rights groups

Reporters Without Borders called the decision outrageous and said it should be reversed immediately. Amnesty International described the verdict as a crushing blow to press freedom. Human rights lawyer Mai al-Sadani called the trial an absolute farce.

Wider context

The Committee to Protect Journalists counts 25 journalists currently jailed in Egypt. Press freedom is heavily restricted, and nearly all media in the country are controlled by the state, according to Reporters Without Borders.