Egyptian Court Reopens Trial Against Independent Journalist Lina Attalah

Lina Attalah, the editor-in-chief of Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr, faces a criminal court retrial in Egypt on Wednesday over charges of operating an unlicensed website and publishing false news. The United Nations and international non-governmental organisations have condemned the prosecution as part of a wider effort by authorities in Cairo to suppress independent reporting.

The retrial follows a 2024 verdict in which an Egyptian court sentenced Attalah in absentia to one year in prison without her knowledge. She was informed of the sentence only last month, following her release from custody after a separate misdemeanour trial. That proceeding resulted in a fine of three million Egyptian pounds (around 56,000 US dollars) alongside a court order mandating the shutdown of Mada Masr.

Speaking to Agence France-Presse ahead of the hearing, Attalah explained that Mada Masr had submitted formal licensing applications for eight years without receiving a decision from authorities. She stated that while the outlet did not object to regulatory oversight, the licensing process was being utilised as an instrument of control and exclusion to silence independent voices.

The legal proceedings against Attalah take place amid broader measures targeting news organisations across Egypt. In September, authorities detained all six journalists working for the fact-checking platform Matsadaash. According to the United Nations, those reporters remain held in extended pretrial detention, where they have been subjected to torture and forced to record fabricated confessions.

Spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Thameen Al-Kheetan, stated that the prosecution raised serious concerns regarding due process and fair trial standards. Representatives from the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International have urged Egyptian officials to halt legal actions against media workers. CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah declared: Egyptian authorities must immediately end this crackdown, reverse Mada Masr's shutdown and uphold constitutional protections for press freedom. Qudah also called on the European Union to make these demands a priority in its upcoming political dialogue with Egypt.

Written by Thomas Nussbaumer thomas.nussbaumer@alpineweekly.com