Egypt detains prominent journalist Lina Attalah after trial
Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, has been detained following a court order to close her news outlet. The court fined her three million Egyptian pounds for operating without a license, a move rights groups describe as a crackdown on press freedom.
Why it matters
The detention of a prominent journalist signals a significant escalation in the suppression of independent media in Egypt.
Egypt detains prominent journalist Lina Attalah after trial left Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, participates in a panel discussion. File AP AP https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/2zah3v/article71632187.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/Egypt_Journalist_Trial_31521.jpg ROGER ANIS FILE - Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, participates in a panel discussion at cultural center in Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Roger Anis, File) Her trial marks what rights groups have described as a sharp escalation in Cairo's crackdown on press freedom. Cairo Egyptian security forces detained prominent Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, the chief editor of leading independent news website Mada Masr, after her trial hearing on Tuesday (October 27, 2026), her outlet reported. A court fined Ms. Attalah three million Egyptian pounds (around $53,400) for operating the website without a licence, the maximum possible penalty for the misdemeanour she was charged with, and ordered Mada's closure.
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