MERIP and 119 Groups Condemn Trial of Mada Masr Editor Lina Attalah

Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr, has been referred to trial by Egyptian authorities on charges of establishing and operating a website without a license, with her first court appearance scheduled for October 27, 2026, as reported by merip.org.

Summons Before the Supreme State Security Prosecution

The legal proceedings began on October 19, 2026, when Attalah received a summons to appear before the Supreme State Security Prosecution under Case No. 9072 of 2026, merip.org reported. Prosecutors subjected her to a six-hour interrogation on October 21. During this session, questioning focused on Mada Masr’s coverage of protests occurring in prisons across Egypt, alongside inquiries into the outlet’s licensing status.

Authorities released Attalah following the interrogation on a bail of 100,000 Egyptian pounds, equivalent to about $1,960 USD according to cpj.org. By October 22, Attalah learned that the prosecution was escalating the matter by referring her to trial under charges of establishing, managing, and operating a website without a license. The first trial session is set for Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Years of Unanswered Licensing Applications

Mada Masr has attempted to secure legal status under Egyptian legislation for years. Following the ratification of Law No. 180 of 2018 Regulating the Press, Media, and the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, the outlet applied for a license in 2018 but received no response, merip.org reported. An additional application was filed in 2020 after the law’s bylaws were issued, which similarly went unanswered.

The outlet discovered that the Supreme Council for Media Regulation had rejected its application only during a 2022 interrogation involving Attalah, where authorities provided neither prior notice nor justification. Mada Masr subsequently filed a lawsuit in 2022 to challenge that rejection. A more recent licensing application submitted in 2023 has remained pending without a response.

Potential Penalties and Threat to Independent Media

If convicted at trial, Attalah faces a fine ranging between 1 million and 3 million Egyptian pounds, approximately $19,600 to $58,800 USD. The court also has the authority to order the closure of Mada Masr entirely. This case represents the sixth legal action brought against the outlet in six years, but it marks the first time such a case has been escalated to trial.

This development follows other actions against the Egyptian press, including the late September arrest of all six Egypt-based journalists working for the investigative platform Matsdaash, as reported by cpj.org. In response to that arrest, Mada Masr and seven other independent Arab media outlets established a solidarity flash newsroom on October 19 to maintain reporting. Egypt currently holds at least 25 journalists behind bars, maintaining its status as one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists.

Global Condemnation From Civil Society Organizations

The Middle East Research and Information Project joined 119 civil society organizations and independent media outlets to condemn the referral of Attalah to trial. In a joint statement released alongside organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists and Amnesty International, the signatories called on Egyptian authorities to immediately end the prosecution, grant Mada Masr its legal license, and halt all targeting of independent outlets and journalists.