Egypt: Court order to shut down and fine Mada Masr a devastating blow to media freedom

Responding to the news that the New Cairo Misdemeanours court today convicted editor in chief Lina Attalah on charges of operating an unlicenced website, ordering the shutdown of prominent independent outlet Mada Masr and taking her into police custody pending payment of the maximum penalty of three million EGP fine (54,467 USD) Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Regional Impact, Yasmine Ahmed, said:

Today’s decision represents a crushing blow to press freedom in Egypt and marks a dark day for independent journalism in the country.

Yasmine Ahmed, Amnesty International

“Today’s decision represents a crushing blow to press freedom in Egypt and marks a dark day for independent journalism in the country. By imposing a 3 million EGP fine, ordering the closure of Mada Masr and the seizure of its property, and detaining Lina Atallah until payment is made, the Egyptian authorities are sending a clear and ruthless message: critical, independent reporting will not be tolerated.

“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. Lina Atallah should never have been prosecuted for exercising her right to freedom of expression and doing her journalistic job. The Egyptian authorities must immediately overturn this outrageous verdict, halt the forced closure of Mada Masr, and end the systematic persecution of journalists.

“Mada is one of the most fearless and staunchly independent media outlets in the country, and they have continued to report professionally and operate in full transparency. The media outlet has repeatedly attempted to apply for a licence since the new media law was passed in 2018, but the authorities have continuously denied or failed to respond to their application.

“The speed with which the investigation and trial were scheduled and the judge’s refusal to adjourn today’s session to give defence lawyers adequate time to prepare and his refusal of all other requests by the defence, including to submit additional documentation or to summon witnesses, raises serious due process concerns.

“Under no circumstances is shutting down a media outlet a proportionate response to operating without government authorization. International human rights standards are clear on the fact that registration systems should not be used as a mechanism of prior restraint or to pick and choose which media outlets governments like and which they wish to silence.

“Today’s verdict comes at a time when independent journalism in Egypt is under assault and just weeks after the arbitrary detention of six journalists from the Matsadaash fact-checking platform amidst the continued blocking of hundreds of news websites and civil society organizations across the country.

Background

Mada has for years operated in full transparency as a non-profit company, while actively attempting since 2018 to register under the 2018 Law Regulating the Press, Media, and the Supreme Council for Media Regulation. Mada applied for a licence twice in 2018 and 2020 but received no response from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), the government body overseeing the media.

In 2022, Mada learned that the SCMR rejected their application without providing reasons. In the same year, Mada appealed the rejection in court but later lost the case. At a hearing in 2023, the SCMR stated its grounds for the first time. Mada reapplied this year and submitted all the documents the SCMR said were missing but never received a response.

The ruling follows years of harassment and intimidation against Lina Atallah as editor in chief of Mada Masr who has faced six criminal investigations over the past six years over their reporting. Most recently, on 4 August 2025, the authorities summoned Atallah for questioning on unfounded charges, including “spreading false news” and “operating a website without a license,” over an article published on 31 July 2025 about deteriorating detention conditions in Badr 3 prison. She was released on bail pending investigation.

At least 18 journalists are currently imprisoned in Egypt according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Hundreds of websites remain blocked in the country, including Mada Masr, other media outlets and independent NGOs.

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