Egypt intensifies crackdown on independent media with Mada Masr closure and journalist prosecutions
Egypt has escalated its crackdown on independent media by detaining the entire staff of fact-checking platform Matsadaash, ordering the closure of Mada Masr, and prosecuting its chief Lina Attalah. This marks a severe restriction of the already limited space for free press in the country, drawing international condemnation.
Egypt has intensified its repression of independent media, exemplified by the recent detention of the entire staff of the fact-checking platform Matsadaash and the ordered closure of Mada Masr, one of the country’s last remaining independent news outlets.
Lina Attalah, head of Mada Masr, revealed to AFP that she faces a one-year prison sentence handed down in absentia for operating without a licence and “publishing false news,” charges frequently used against journalists in Egypt.
Attalah described the government’s actions as a “new chapter” in efforts to silence independent media amid Egypt’s ongoing economic and political challenges. She emphasized that the crackdown is seen as a misguided attempt to solve national problems by suppressing the press.
The prosecution of Attalah and the shutdown of Mada Masr have sparked swift international outcry, including from the European Union, US Congress members, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. Currently, 26 Egyptian journalists remain imprisoned.
Attalah recounted her rushed trial where her defence lawyer was appointed by the judge and the verdict was delivered while she was forcibly detained in court. Despite paying a fine of three million Egyptian pounds (around $55,000) raised by supporters, Mada Masr was ordered shut down with an appeal scheduled for November 25.
This crackdown severely diminishes Egypt’s already limited independent media space, threatening the survival of rigorous journalism in the country and raising concerns about freedom of expression and human rights in the region.
