Freedom of the press: Egypt closes independent news site

Website Mada Masr Egypt closes important independent news site As of: October 27, 2026 • 5:42 p.m

An Egyptian court has ordered the closure of the independent news website Mada Masr. Editor-in-chief Attalah was sentenced to a heavy fine. Reporters Without Borders calls it an “outrageous decision.”

An Egyptian court has ordered the closure of Mada Masr, the last major non-state-controlled news site in the country. The court also found editor-in-chief Lina Attalah guilty of running an unregistered website and imposed the highest fine of around 48,000 euros.

The court also ordered Mada Masr's property to be confiscated. Attalah was taken into custody by security forces at the court following the verdict, her news site reported.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) spoke of an “outrageous decision” that must be reversed immediately. Mai al-Sadani, a human rights lawyer, called the trial an "absolute farce." Diplomats, researchers and scientists relied on the news site's reports and analysis.

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The Egyptian government under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has passed many new laws in recent years that are increasingly restricting press freedom. In the Reporters Without Borders ranking, Egypt is ranked 169th out of 180 worldwide.

According to the organization, virtually all media are controlled by the Egyptian state, security authorities or influential businessmen under government supervision. Anyone who does not submit to this censorship will have their websites blocked, according to RSF.

Mada Masr, which Attalah founded with like-minded people in 2013, was also blocked in 2017, along with hundreds of other websites. The creators behind the Arabic-English online newspaper previously said they had tried several times without success to apply for the required license from the responsible Council for Media Regulation.

Despite the blockade, Mada Masr had a wide reach outside Egypt. Attalah and other journalists from the website have been repeatedly arrested and questioned in recent years on charges of spreading false news and endangering national security.

Outside her country, Editor-in-Chief Attalah has already received numerous international journalism awards. Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020

With information from Ina Rottscheidt, ARD Cairo.

This topic in the program: MDR aktuell - The news radio | News | Oct 27, 2026 | 3:37 p.m