Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah must pay a fine of 48,000 euros and take her website offline

Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah has been fined €48,000 and ordered to take down her website, Mada Masr, one of the last independent media outlets in Egypt. This ruling follows the arrest of the entire editorial team of another platform earlier this month. The government accused Attalah of publishing false news and operating without a license. After the verdict, she was arrested but released after paying the fine. Mada Masr has faced ongoing challenges, including multiple rejected license applications since 2018. The court proceedings were criticized for lacking fairness, with the judge ignoring defense requests. Human rights organizations condemned the ruling as a significant blow to independent journalism in Egypt, where press freedom is severely restricted.