Egypt court orders Mada Masr closure, fines Attalah

An Egyptian court convicted Mada Masr editor-in-chief Lina Attalah of operating a website without a license, fined her 3 million Egyptian pounds, ordered the outlet closed and its equipment confiscated, and took her into custody. Press-freedom groups condemned the ruling and called for Attalah’s release and the closure order to be reversed, raising concerns about the fairness of the proceedings, including reported limits on the defense’s ability to present evidence and witnesses. Mada Masr says it repeatedly applied for a license beginning in 2018 but received no response to several applications; the ruling was issued at first instance and can be appealed. Egyptian authorities say media must follow the law, respect national security and counter misinformation.