# Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah detained after court orders news site’s closure

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/egyptian-journalist-lina-attalah-detained-after-court-orders-news-sites-closure/
- Published: 2026-10-27T16:11:35+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T17:26:17+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC World (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw8rz14k1jvxo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Lina Attalah was detained after a court conviction.
- Mada Masr was ordered to close.
- The fine is 3 million Egyptian pounds.

## Summary

Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent news site Mada Masr, has been detained after a court convicted her of running an unlicensed website, her lawyers say. The court also ordered the site to close and imposed the maximum fine for the offence, prompting Amnesty International to describe the ruling as a serious blow to press freedom.

Attalah will remain in custody until she pays 3 million Egyptian pounds, about $53,500 or £40,100. Mada Masr says it repeatedly sought a licence after Egypt’s 2018 media law, but its applications were rejected or left unanswered; Attalah has faced six criminal investigations over the site’s reporting. The case comes amid broader pressure on independent media: the Committee to Protect Journalists says 25 journalists are currently imprisoned in Egypt.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.