Egypt’s crackdown on press draws criticism on Capitol Hill
An Egyptian court ordered the closure of independent news site Mada Masr and fined its editor-in-chief Lina Attalah 3 million Egyptian pounds. The site's assets were confiscated and Attalah was taken into custody. The move has drawn criticism from human rights groups and US lawmakers, who say it is part of a broader crackdown on press freedom in Egypt.
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- ✓ Egyptian court ordered closure of Mada Masr and fined editor-in-chief Lina Attalah 3 million Egyptian pounds.
- ✓ Mada Masr's assets were confiscated.
- ✓ Lina Attalah was taken into custody by Egyptian authorities.
- ✓ The closure of Mada Masr has drawn criticism from human rights groups and US lawmakers.
What changed
The Egyptian court issued a fine and ordered the closure of Mada Masr, taking editor-in-chief Lina Attalah into custody.
Live updates
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Egypt cracks down on press, Mada Masr site closed
An Egyptian court ordered the closure of independent news site Mada Masr and fined its editor-in-chief Lina Attalah 3 million Egyptian pounds. The site's assets were confiscated and Attalah was taken into custody. The move has drawn criticism from human rights groups and US lawmakers, who say it is part of a broader crackdown on press freedom in Egypt.
Why it matters
Egypt has a history of restricting press freedom, consistently ranking as one of the world's leading jailers of journalists since 2013. The closure of Mada Masr, one of the country's last independent media outlets, has sparked concerns about the erosion of press freedom in Egypt. The US has provided significant aid to Egypt, and some lawmakers argue that this aid has enabled the Egyptian government's crackdown on journalists.
What is confirmed
- Egyptian court ordered closure of Mada Masr and fined editor-in-chief Lina Attalah 3 million Egyptian pounds.
- Mada Masr's assets were confiscated.
- Lina Attalah was taken into custody by Egyptian authorities.
- The closure of Mada Masr has drawn criticism from human rights groups and US lawmakers.
- Egypt has consistently ranked as one of the world's leading jailers of journalists since 2013.
Still unconfirmed
- US Senator Chris Murphy claims that a waiver of human rights conditions on aid to Egypt paved the way for arrests of journalists.
What to watch next
- The trial of Lina Attalah and the future of Mada Masr
- The response of the US government to the crackdown on press freedom in Egypt
- The impact of the closure of Mada Masr on Egypt's independent media landscape
confidence 85%Sources used for this update (12)
- The New York Times — Egyptian Court Orders News Site Closed as Critics Warn of a Crackdown
- مدى مصر — Lina Attalah in custody after court issues LE3 mn fine, orders Mada Masr’s closure
- The Washington Post — Egypt’s crackdown on press draws criticism on Capitol Hill
- NBC News — Court orders closure of one of Egypt’s last independent media outlets
- The Guardian — Egypt fines prominent editor Lina Attalah and shuts independent news outlet Mada Masr
- cpj.org — CPJ outraged by Egypt court conviction of journalist Lina ...
- www.yahoo.com — Democratic senator blames Egypt press crackdown on US ... - Yahoo
- rsf.org — "A declaration of war against the independent press”: In ...
- www.democracynow.org — “Dark Day for Journalism”: Egypt Shutters Independent News ...
- www.independent.co.uk — Egypt convicts Mada Masr editor in ‘draconian’ press crackdown
- policywire.substack.com — Murphy: US Waiver of Aid Terms Fuelled Latest Egypt Press ...
- globalvoices.org — Egypt’s crackdown on independent media reaches Mada Masr as ...
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