Egypt: Journalist Lina Attalah arrested after her trial

Lina Attalah, director of Mada Masr, Egypt’s leading independent news outlet, was arrested by security forces after being fined about 850 euros. After a single hearing, a misdemeanors court ordered the website closed, ruling that it was being operated “without a license.” Mada Masr said security officers carried her out of the courtroom and that she remained in detention. Human rights groups called the case a dangerous escalation in the crackdown on press freedom, weeks after journalists from fact-checking platform Matsadaash were arrested.