Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah detained after court orders news site's closure
Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the Egyptian news site Mada Masr, has been detained following a court conviction for operating an unlicensed website. The ruling has drawn criticism from human rights groups as a significant blow to press freedom in Egypt.
Why it matters
The detention reflects the ongoing crackdown on independent media and dissent under the current Egyptian administration.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Amnesty International called the verdict against Lina Attalah 'a crushing blow to press freedom' (file photo)
The editor-in-chief of the independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr has been taken into custody after a court convicted her of managing an unlicensed website and ordered its closure, her lawyers say.
Lina Attalah will be held until she pays the fine of 3m Egyptian pounds ($53,500; £40,100) also handed down by the New Cairo Misdemeanours Court. It was the maximum possible penalty for the charge, which she had rejected.
The human rights group Amnesty International said the verdict represented "a crushing blow to press freedom".
It comes only weeks after six journalists working for the independent fact-checking platform Matsda2sh were charged with belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
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