A Cairo court has fined Mada Masr editor-in-chief Lina Attalah EGP 3 million, approximately USD 53,500, and ordered the closure of the news website. The New Cairo Misdemeanour Court issued the ruling on charges of running a website without a license. The court also ordered the confiscation of Mada Masr's equipment. Attalah was taken into custody after the ruling but was later released after paying the fine in full.
The case against Attalah was tried under Article 105 of Law No. 180 of 2018, regulating the press and media. The article stipulates a fine of between EGP 1 million and EGP 3 million for establishing or running a website without a license from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation. The court can also order the site's closure and confiscation of its equipment. The fine doubles for a repeat offense.
Mada Masr had applied for a license from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation in October 2018 and August 2020 but received no response either time. According to the outlet's lawyer, Hassan al-Azhari, the council stated that the application lacked required documents and information. Mada Masr submitted a completed application in June 2023 but has not received a decision.
Investigating authorities referred Attalah to trial on October 22 on charges of establishing and running a website without a license. She was questioned by the Supreme State Security Prosecution on October 21 over allegations of running a website without a license and publishing false news. Attalah was released on EGP 100,000 bail. Tuesday's hearing was the first in the case.
Before the hearing, Journalists Syndicate head Khaled El-Balshy stated that the Syndicate had submitted a memo to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation on Mada Masr's license application. The Syndicate planned to present a legal memo in support of the outlet in court. They argued that a dispute over a licensing decision should be handled by administrative courts, not as a criminal case.
Mada Masr was founded in 2013. In October 2023, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation ordered its website blocked for six months, citing operation without a license and publication of false news. During her release procedures, Attalah learned of a one-year prison sentence issued against her in absentia in 2024 on charges of publishing false news and managing an unlicensed website.
The ruling to shut down Mada Masr and the fine was issued at first instance and can be appealed. Attalah's legal team has challenged the one-year prison sentence, and a hearing for a retrial of the case is scheduled for November 11, 2026. The Supreme Council for Media Regulation had not commented publicly on the ruling as of Tuesday afternoon.
Key points
- The fine and closure order against Mada Masr were based on charges of operating without a license under Egyptian Law No. 180 of 2018.
- Mada Masr's editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, paid the EGP 3 million fine in full after being released from custody.
- The case against Mada Masr highlights ongoing tensions between Egyptian authorities and independent media outlets over licensing and regulation.
