Human Rights Watch calls for the charges to be dropped
Human Rights WatchHuman-rights organization, through deputy regional director Bassam Khawaja
Before the hearing, Human Rights Watch calls the prosecution an escalation against independent media and urges authorities to drop the case.
“The hasty prosecution of Lina Attalah marks another escalation in Egyptian authorities’ outrageous attack on independent media in the country”
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
Original pre-hearing statement dated October 27, with a separately labelled October 28 update about the conviction.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Human Rights Watch's October 27 statement addresses the licensing charge before that day's hearing. An October 28 update to the same page records the conviction and closure order.
After the quotation
It argues that repeatedly ignoring Mada Masr's good-faith registration attempts violates international human rights law.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Human Rights Watch criticizes the prosecution, which carried possible closure, and urges authorities to drop the charges.
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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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The Dispute Index. "Human Rights Watch calls for the charges to be dropped". First published: 2026-11-03. Last updated: 2026-11-03. https://disputeindex.com/events/7938-before-the-hearing-human-rights-watch-calls-the