Egypt orders closure of leading independent news site Mada Masr

An Egyptian court ordered the closure of Mada Masr, one of the country’s last prominent independent news outlets, and fined editor-in-chief Lina Attalah three million Egyptian pounds for operating a website without a licence. The court also ordered the confiscation of the outlet’s equipment. Attalah was detained after the ruling and released several hours later after Mada Masr paid the fine in full. During her release procedures, she learned she had been sentenced in absentia in 2024 to one year in prison; her lawyers have challenged that ruling, with a retrial hearing scheduled for November 11.