Lina Attalah: Mada Masr License Trial Set in Egypt

• Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, faces trial on October 27, 2026, for operating a website without a license.
• The Supreme State Security Prosecution referred her case, Case No. 9072/2026, after she was questioned and released on bail.
• Potential penalties include a fine of up to 3 million Egyptian pounds, Mada Masr's closure, and equipment confiscation.
• Mada Masr has repeatedly applied for a license under Egypt's 2018 Press and Media Regulation Law but has faced rejections or no response.
• Human Rights Watch and over 100 civil society organizations condemn the prosecution as part of a broader crackdown on independent media in Egypt.

Human Rights Watch has voiced significant concerns, asserting that the weaponization of licensing requirements, through arbitrary rejections or a failure to respond to good faith applications, violates international human rights law.

Lina Attalah, the editor-in-chief of the independent news platform Mada Masr, is set to face trial on October 27, 2026, on charges related to the operation of her organization's website. The Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) referred her case, identified as Case No. 9072/2026, for judicial proceedings on October 22. The primary accusation against Attalah is establishing and managing a website without the requisite official license, a charge that carries significant penalties.

This referral to trial followed a period of intense scrutiny. Prosecutors had summoned Attalah for questioning on October 19. Two days later, on October 21, she was interrogated regarding allegations of publishing "false news" and operating Mada Masr's website without a valid license. Following this questioning, she was released on bail set at 100,000 Egyptian pounds, approximately US$1,780. The very next day, however, the prosecution proceeded with the trial referral, focusing specifically on the unlicensed website operation. If convicted, Attalah could face a fine of up to 3 million Egyptian pounds, equivalent to about US$53,400, in addition to the potential closure of Mada Masr and the confiscation of its operational equipment. This marks the sixth legal action initiated against Mada Masr or its journalists within the past six years, according to the outlet itself.

The legal basis for the charges against Attalah stems from Egypt's 2018 Press and Media Regulation Law. This legislation mandates that all websites operating within Egypt must obtain a license from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation. Furthermore, the law grants the council the authority to suspend or block any website found to be operating without such a valid license. This framework places a significant burden on independent media organizations like Mada Masr to navigate a complex and often opaque licensing process.

Mada Masr has made repeated attempts to comply with these regulatory requirements. The organization first applied for a license in 2018 and submitted another application in 2020. In both instances, Mada Masr reported that its applications were rejected without any formal notification from the authorities, prompting the platform to challenge these rejections through the courts. Demonstrating continued efforts to adhere to the law, Mada Masr submitted a new application with additional supporting documents in 2023. As of the current date, authorities have yet to provide any response to this latest submission, leaving the organization in a state of regulatory limbo despite its proactive compliance efforts.

The prosecution of Lina Attalah is not an isolated incident but rather indicative of a wider governmental crackdown on independent media in Egypt. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has voiced significant concerns, asserting that the weaponization of licensing requirements, through arbitrary rejections or a failure to respond to good faith applications, violates international human rights law. Bassam Khawaja, HRW's deputy Middle East and North Africa director, emphasized that no journalist should face criminal prosecution for performing their professional duties, highlighting the escalating nature of attacks on independent media.

Attalah and Mada Masr have been consistently targeted by Egyptian authorities over several years. In September 2022, Attalah and three other Mada Masr journalists were questioned on charges of publishing "false news," disturbing public peace, and harming public interest. Further incidents include Attalah's summoning in November 2023 following an investigation by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, and another questioning in August 2025 regarding "false news" and unlicensed website operation, specifically after Mada Masr reported on alleged abuses at Badr 3 prison. This pattern of harassment extends beyond Mada Masr; less than a month prior to Attalah's current prosecution, six journalists from Matsda2sh, an independent investigative journalism platform, were arrested on September 28 and 29, 2026. These journalists, comprising the platform's entire editorial newsroom, remain in pretrial detention facing serious charges, including "joining and financing a terrorist group" and "spreading false news." Their lawyers have reported allegations of torture and attempts to extract coerced confessions during detention. Over one hundred civil society organizations, including HRW, have collectively urged Egyptian authorities to drop the charges against Attalah and grant Mada Masr its operating license, calling for an end to the repeated harassment of independent journalists.

Lawyers advising media organizations or journalists operating in Egypt must be aware of the heightened compliance risks and potential for arbitrary prosecution under the 2018 Press and Media Regulation Law, particularly concerning website licensing. This case highlights the need for robust legal strategies to challenge licensing rejections and navigate an increasingly restrictive regulatory environment for independent media.

Source: Original reporting via Human Rights Watch