The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the conviction of Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr, on charges of running an unlicensed website.
The group calls on Egyptian authorities to reverse the ruling, release the journalist immediately, and end their escalating campaign against independent journalism.
Mada Masr, among the first and few of Egypt’s independent media outlets, and a vital source of critical reporting, has long faced pressure from Egyptian authorities over its journalism.
The outlet reported on Tuesday that the New Cairo Misdemeanor Court fined Attalah 3 million Egyptian pounds (about US$54,000), ordered the closure of the outlet, and the confiscation of its equipment.
Attalah was subsequently taken into custody, and two Egyptian lawyers confirmed to CPJ that she will remain in custody until the fine is paid.
“The conviction of Lina Attalah and the order to shut down Mada Masr represent a devastating blow to press freedom in Egypt and a direct message aimed at dismantling independent media in the country,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah.
Attalah and Mada Masr are among the most prominent voices in Egypt’s independent media landscape, providing critical reporting on issues of public interest that might otherwise go unreported.
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.”
According to reports from the hearing, journalists were not allowed to stay in the courtroom during critical stages of the proceedings.
The defense was reportedly prevented from presenting key procedural requests, including requests to submit documents and hear witnesses.
Attalah’s objection to the appointment of a lawyer she had not chosen was reportedly disregarded, before the court announced its verdict amid protests from her legal team.
Such reported restrictions raise serious concerns about transparency, due process, and the right to a fair hearing.
“This was a farcical and highly exceptional trial that lacked the most basic rules of a fair trial and squandered Lina’s legal rights and those of her defense team,” Lobna Darwish, advocacy director at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, whose lawyers are part of Attalah’s defense team, told CPJ.
Mada Masr had repeatedly sought an operating license from Egyptian authorities, with applications rejected or left unanswered.
Prosecuting its editor over this unresolved licensing process risks turning administrative regulation into a mechanism for suppressing independent media.
The ruling also comes amid a wider crackdown on Egyptian journalism, including the arrests of six journalists from investigative platform Matsadaash.
The cumulative effect is to intimidate reporters, restrict public-interest investigations, and further erode the space for independent reporting.
In CPJ’s 2025 Annual Prison Census, Egypt was listed among the top jailers of journalists globally, with 18 journalists behind bars, and with continued retaliatory arrests of journalists and their family members.
As of late October, 25 journalists are behind bars, the highest number since 2021.
The Egyptian Public Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to CPJ’s email seeking clarification on the legal basis for Attalah’s detention, the court’s rejection of defense requests to submit documents and call witnesses, and the exclusion of a Journalists Syndicate representative from the hearing.
