Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah faces prison as trial sparks international outcry

Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, who leads the independent outlet Mada Masr, is due in criminal court facing possible imprisonment. Her retrial has drawn international criticism and renewed concern about press freedom and fair-trial protections in Egypt.

Attalah was sentenced to a year in prison in absentia in 2024 over alleged unlicensed operation of a news website and publishing false news; she says she learnt of the sentence last month. In a separate case, she was fined three million Egyptian pounds, about $56,000, and Mada Masr was ordered to close. The UN and rights groups have also condemned the detention of six fact-checking journalists and called for the outlet’s shutdown to be reversed.