The Committee to Protect Journalists joined partner organizations on Friday in condemning the referral to trial of Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent Egyptian outlet Mada Masr. The case is the latest escalation in Egypt’s crackdown on the press, which has included the arrest of all six Egypt-based journalists working for investigative platform Matsdaash and the summoning of journalist Rasha Azab by prosecutors.
Attalah was called before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on October 19, 2026, in connection with Case No. 9072 of 2026. Two days later, prosecutors questioned her on Mada Masr’s reporting about recent protests in several Egyptian prisons and on the outlet’s licensing status, before releasing her on 100,000 Egyptian pounds (US$1,960) bail.
The following day, Attalah was told she will stand trial on charges of establishing and operating a website without a license. The trial will begin on Tuesday, October 27. If convicted, she faces a fine of 1 million to 3 million Egyptian pounds (US$19,600 to 58,800), and the court can also order the closure of Mada Masr. Mada Masr has applied for a license several times, but the authorities have consistently rejected or ignored its requests.
Egypt remains one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists, with at least 25 currently behind bars.