Egypt orders closure of Mada Masr, releases editor Lina Attalah

The Committee to Protect Journalists has ranked Egypt, which has just ordered the closure of Mada Masr, among the world’s top jailers of journalists.

Rosaleen Carroll

Oct 27, 2026

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An Egyptian court convicted Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of independent news outlet Mada Masr, of operating a website without a license on Tuesday, fining her 3 million Egyptian pounds (around $53,400) and ordering the outlet's closure and the confiscation of its equipment.

What happened: According to Mada Masr's account of the hearing, the court rejected the defense's requests to review case documents and hear witnesses before asking Attalah's lawyers to present their closing arguments. The defense team declined, saying the court had failed to address its requests.

Mada Masr reported that the judge appointed a lawyer to represent Attalah despite the........

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