RSF calls for the closure decision to be reversed
Reporters Without BordersPress-freedom organization, through Middle East desk head Jonathan Dagher
RSF calls the conviction unjust and urges the judge to reverse the ruling and release Attalah. Its statement is later updated to note her release.
“We call on the judge to immediately reverse this decision and release Lina Attalah.”
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
RSF statement issued October 27 and updated that day after Attalah was released. The quoted call preceded her release.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Dagher describes Mada Masr as a source of independent information and criticizes the conduct of the trial.
After the quotation
The same page records that Attalah was released after more than seven hours in detention.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the prosecution and closure order against Mada Masr. The organization expressly criticizes that action and calls for it to end.
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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
CPJ calls the order to shut down Mada Masr outrageous
Committee to Protect Journalists
“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”Read statement
IFJ condemns the sentence and calls for the charges to be dropped
International Federation of Journalists
“We condemn this abusive sentence and call on Egyptian authorities to drop all charges against her.”Read statement
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- RSF calls for the closure decision to be reversed
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The Dispute Index. "RSF calls for the closure decision to be reversed". First published: 2026-11-03. Last updated: 2026-11-03. https://disputeindex.com/events/7937-rsf-calls-the-conviction-unjust-and-urges-the