international2 hours ago
Egyptian Court Orders Closure of Mada Masr, Detains Editor Lina Attalah
A Cairo court has ordered the closure of Mada Masr, one of Egypt’s last independent news outlets, and convicted its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, of operating without a license. Attalah was detained for seven hours after the court imposed a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds (approx. $53,400) and ordered the seizure of the outlet’s property. She was released after the fine was paid but faces an appeal hearing on November 11. The ruling follows the recent arrest of the entire staff of the fact-checking site Matsadaash and has drawn sharp criticism from US lawmakers and international human rights organizations, who describe it as a severe escalation in Egypt’s crackdown on independent journalism.
