Egypt: Journalist Lina Attalah released after hefty fine

Lina Attalah, director of Mada Masr, Egypt’s leading independent media outlet, was released on Tuesday after paying a fine of three million Egyptian pounds, nearly €49,000. Following a hearing in Cairo, the court ordered the website closed for operating without a licence, and security personnel then took the journalist from the courtroom. Her lawyer, Hassan al-Azhari, said he learned during her release proceedings that a separate 2024 conviction in absentia had sentenced her to one year in prison for spreading false information and running an unlicensed website; an appeal has been filed.