CPJ calls the order to shut down Mada Masr outrageous
Committee to Protect JournalistsPress freedom organization, through CEO Jodie Ginsberg
CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg calls the order to shut down Mada Masr outrageous and a sign that Egypt is doubling down on efforts to suppress independent media.
“The order to shut down Mada Masr, one of Egypt's leading media outlets, is outrageous and a clear signal that Egypt is doubling down on its efforts to suppress independent media”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Egyptian court orders Mada Masr closed and fines editor Lina Attalah over an unlicensed website; the outlet says its license applications went unanswered
On October 27, 2026, a misdemeanor court in New Cairo convicted Mada Masr editor-in-chief Lina Attalah of running a website without a license. It fined her 3 million Egyptian pounds, about $54,000, and ordered the outlet's website closed and its equipment and property confiscated. Mada Masr says it applied for a license in 2018, 2020 and 2023 and never received a decision, and its lawyers say the court denied them a copy of the case file. Press freedom and human rights groups condemned the ruling. We did not locate a public comment on the ruling from Egyptian authorities as of November 1, 2026.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Statement published by the Committee to Protect Journalists on October 28, 2026, announcing a joint statement with partner organizations on the conviction of Lina Attalah and the order to close Mada Masr. It quotes CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
CPJ says it and 138 organizations condemn Attalah's conviction, and that a joint statement urges Egyptian authorities to let Mada Masr operate freely and to stop using media permit laws to arrest and prosecute journalists.
After the quotation
Ginsberg adds: "The world cannot keep watching in silence as Egypt's independent journalism dies, while Egyptian journalists risk their freedom to keep the public informed."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the October 27 ruling that convicted Lina Attalah of running Mada Masr without a license, fined her and ordered the outlet closed. CPJ calls the closure order outrageous and joins a statement condemning the conviction.
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More from this case
Read the full caseMada Masr says its work must go on and Attalah should face neither prison nor fines
Mada Masr
“We are angry, but hopeful. We are tired but insistent, insistent that our work must go on, that Lina should face neither prison nor fines, that all jailed journalists should be free.”Read statement
Amnesty calls the Mada Masr ruling a crushing blow to press freedom in Egypt
Amnesty International
“Today's decision represents a crushing blow to press freedom in Egypt and marks a dark day for independent journalism in the country”Read statement
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- CPJ calls the order to shut down Mada Masr outrageous
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The Dispute Index. "CPJ calls the order to shut down Mada Masr outrageous". First published: 2026-11-01. Last updated: 2026-11-01. https://disputeindex.com/events/7737-cpj-ceo-jodie-ginsberg-calls-the-order-to