Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of independent Egyptian award-winning news website Mada Masr, is due to stand trial before a New Cairo misdemeanour court on Tuesday, 27 October, on charges of establishing and operating a website without a licence, following an unusually swift referral by the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
The referral came on Thursday, 22 October, less than 24 hours after Attalah was released on EGP 100,000 bail following more than six hours of questioning by prosecutors.
She was investigated in Case No. 9072 of 2026, in which prosecutors initially accused her of publishing false news and operating a website without a licence.
The false news allegation was dropped from the charges in the referral decision, leaving the licensing charge to be heard by the court.
According to Mada Masr's legal counsel, Hassan El-Azhari, prosecutors questioned Attalah about the website's legal status and its coverage of recent protests inside Egyptian prisons, as well as other journalistic work.
El-Azhari described the decision to refer the internationally award-winning Attalah to trial within hours of the investigation's conclusion, with a hearing scheduled for the following week, as an unjustified rush.
The investigation included a National Security Agency report and documents concerning the website's licensing status.
The case is the sixth brought against Mada Masr, its journalists or its editor-in-chief over the past six years, according to the outlet and press freedom organisations.
Attalah was summoned for questioning on 21 October, following a summons issued two days earlier.
The investigation focused in part on Mada Masr's reporting about a wave of protests in Egyptian prisons and the authorities' response, alongside questions about the website's licensing applications.
Mada Masr has sought an operating licence from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation several times since 2018, when Egypt introduced a new legal framework governing the press and media.
The award-winning news website, which received the 2023 Canada-United Kingdom Media Freedom Award, says it received no response to its licence applications in 2018 and 2020 and was informed that they had been rejected only during a separate investigation in 2022.
The website subsequently challenged the licensing decision and submitted further documents.
Its latest application has reportedly remained unanswered since 2023.
Under Article 105 of Egypt's Press and Media Regulation Law, the charge carries a potential fine of between EGP 1 million and EGP 3 million.
The court may also order the closure of the website and the confiscation of equipment allegedly used in the offence, with the fine potentially doubled in cases of recurrence, according to the outlet's lawyer.
Mada Masr has been blocked in Egypt since 2017 but has continued publishing its reporting in Arabic and English.
The case comes already amid wider pressure on independent journalism in Egypt.
In late September, authorities arrested six journalists working for the independent fact-checking platform Matsdaash.
The Committee to Protect Journalists and other press freedom organisations have condemned the escalation against independent media.
On 24 October, 119 human rights organisations and media institutions also called for an end to the legal pursuit of Attalah and urged Egyptian authorities to grant Mada Masr an operating licence, warning that the case could have wider consequences for independent journalism and civil society.
The case has unfolded as United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visited Egypt from 24 to 26 October, meeting senior Egyptian officials including President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and discussing regional conflicts, the Gaza ceasefire and international diplomacy.
In his public remarks during the visit, the UN chief emphasised diplomacy, regional stability and Egypt's role in addressing conflicts. His publicly reported messages also called for the protection of civilians and efforts to prevent further escalation in the region.
However, the publicly available coverage of his visit and reported remarks did not include a specific comment on Attalah's prosecution or the wider pressure facing independent journalists in Egypt.
His public silence on this case stands in contrast to the calls from international press freedom and human rights organisations for the authorities to halt the proceedings.
As Attalah prepares to appear in court, the case raises a broader question about the ability of independent media outlets to operate when their licensing status remains unresolved for years yet can become the basis for criminal proceedings against their editors.
Egypt’s media needs Mada Masr as an independent voice more than ever if you believe in freedom of expression and publishing. Its international award-winning journalists are still in the field.
It is frustrating and sad.
Remember, they came first for the leftists.
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