An Egyptian court convicted Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of independent news outlet Mada Masr, on October 27, 2026, for operating an unlicensed website and ordered the outlet closed. Security personnel carried Attalah out of the Cairo courtroom after the verdict, and she remained in custody, according to Mada Masr. The New Cairo Misdemeanour Court imposed a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds, approximately $53,500, and ordered the confiscation of the outlet’s property.

The proceedings raised serious concerns about due process. According to Hossam Bahgat, executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the judge rejected defence requests to submit documents and call witnesses, appointed a lawyer without the defence’s agreement, and delivered the verdict amid objections from Attalah’s legal team. Her lawyers had refused to enter a plea while their procedural requests remained unresolved.

The case centres on allegations that Mada Masr operated without the required licence. Founded by Attalah in 2013, the outlet has been blocked inside Egypt since 2017 and says it repeatedly applied for a licence after the country introduced a new media law in 2018. The prosecution also questioned Attalah about alleged false news, including reporting on prison protests, but that accusation was dropped from the charge sheet.

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the conviction and closure order as a major blow to independent journalism. Regional director Sara Qudah called for Attalah’s immediate release and urged authorities to allow Mada Masr to continue reporting. Egypt’s Journalists’ Syndicate has argued that licensing disputes should be addressed through administrative courts rather than criminal prosecution.

The ruling comes amid wider pressure on independent media in Egypt, including the September arrests of six journalists from investigative platform Matsadaash and previous legal cases involving Mada Masr staff. Reporters Without Borders ranked Egypt 169th out of 180 countries in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index. The case has renewed concerns that licensing laws and national security measures are being used to restrict critical reporting under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government.