Egypt adjourns retrial of Mada Masr editor Lina Attalah to 18 November
The editor-in-chief of the independent outlet is seeking the removal of the presiding judge, who last month fined her and ordered the website closed in a separate case.
An Egyptian court has postponed until 18 November the retrial of Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent news website Mada Masr, after her defence team asked for the presiding judge to be removed from the case.
Ms Attalah is accused of running a news website without a licence and of publishing false news. She was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison in 2024, a ruling of which she says she was unaware at the time.
Her lawyer has argued that the judge has already made up his mind about her guilt. The same judge, in a separate case last month, imposed a fine of three million Egyptian pounds on Ms Attalah and ordered the closure of Mada Masr.
Licensing as a tool of control
Ms Attalah maintains that Mada Masr has applied repeatedly for a licence over several years without receiving any answer from the authorities. She contends that media regulation in Egypt is being used to control the press rather than to organise it.
International concern
The case has drawn attention from abroad. Reporters Without Borders has condemned the proceedings, while the Committee to Protect Journalists has called on the Egyptian authorities to reverse the order shutting down the outlet. The United Nations and several press freedom organisations have warned of mounting pressure on independent journalism in the country.
The court is due to resume hearing the case on 18 November.
