Demand to Cancel Its Closure Decision: Over 100 Organizations Solidarity with "Mada Masr" and Lina Attallah
Over 100 human rights and media organizations condemn the court ruling to close the independent news website "Mada Masr" and fine its editor-in-chief Lina Attallah three million Egyptian pounds, demanding the cancellation of the decision and an end to judicial prosecutions.
More than 100 human rights and media organizations, including the International Federation of Journalists, the Freedom of Thought and Expression Foundation, and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, condemned a judicial ruling to close the independent news website "Mada Masr" and fine its editor-in-chief Lina Attallah three million Egyptian pounds. The ruling was issued by the New Cairo Misdemeanor Court last October on charges of operating an unlicensed website. During the procedures for releasing Attallah after hours of detention inside the courthouse, a previous absentee ruling against her from 2024 was discovered, sentencing her to one year in prison on charges of publishing false news and operating an unlicensed website. The court set a session on November 11 of this year to consider the objection to the absentee ruling, and a session on the 25th of the same month to consider the appeal against the fine and closure ruling. The organizations signing the joint statement demand the cancellation of the closure decision and an end to judicial prosecutions against Attallah.