Press freedom in Egypt: End of the last independent Egyptian news site

“A declaration of war on the independent press” – this is the title of the human rights organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in its article about the closure of the independent news site Mada Masr by order of an Egyptian court. The quote comes from an Egyptian journalist who followed the proceedings and wished to remain anonymous for security reasons.

Mada Masr is an independent news platform in Arabic and English that emerged during the waves of protests in 2013, just days before the coup by current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. However, the site has been blocked in Egypt since 2017. At that time, authorities blocked at least 62 websites on the grounds that they spread false news and incited extremism. Human rights organizations saw this as an attempt to restrict freedom of the press and freedom of expression, especially since several established and critical media outlets were affected.

Before that, she had to appear before a court in Cairo, the New Cairo Misdemeanor Court, which fined her more than three million Egyptian pounds, about 48,000 euros. The accusation is: operating a website without a license. Reporters Without Borders reports that Attalah has been trying to get permission to operate the website since 2018 - without ever receiving a response from the authorities.

Egypt has long been the focus of criticism for suppressing critics and restricting freedom of expression. Just last month, security forces arrested the entire editorial team of the fact-checking website Matsaddash. The Egyptian authorities emphasize that the state is committed to freedom of expression, but the media must act within the framework of the law, respect national security and counter disinformation.

However, Egypt ranked 169th out of 180 countries in the annual RSF ranking of press freedom in the world in 2026. The country is “one of the world’s largest imprisoners of journalists,” according to the Organization for the Global Protection of Reporters.

A total of 119 non-governmental organizations and media outlets from around the world issued a statement to the public protesting against the decision on Mada Masr. US Senator Chris Van Hollen wrote on X that the allegations against Attalah were “baseless”.

The head of RSF's Middle East department, Jonathan Dagher, commented on the event: "Mada Masr is an indispensable source of independent information for millions of readers in Egypt and (…) a beacon of press freedom in a region where journalists are all too often targeted. It should be a source of pride for Egypt."

Editor-in-chief Attalah is now facing a second trial. The authorities have already imposed a one-year prison sentence on her in absentia in 2024 for spreading false reports and operating an unlicensed website. Attalah has appealed the decision. The retrial hearing is scheduled for November 11.