Egypt authorities fine Lina Attalah and order closure of Mada Masr

The New Cairo Misdemeanour Court has ordered the closure of Mada Masr, a prominent independent news outlet in Egypt, and fined its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, 3 million Egyptian pounds (approximately $53,450). The court cited the operation of a website without a license as the basis for the fine and closure. Mada Masr has operated for over 13 years despite previous attempts at website blocking and harassment of its staff.

In a related development, the Supreme State Security Prosecution has extended the detention of six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsda2sh by 15 days. These journalists face charges including spreading false news and joining a terrorist group. These legal actions occur amid increased warnings from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi regarding threats to national security and collective consciousness.