❗️Egyptian court fines journalist Lina Attalah and shuts down independent outlet Mada Masr A Cairo misdemeanor court sentenced Mada Masr Editor-in-Chief Lina Attalah to a maximum fine of $53,400 today, ordering the immediate closure of the news website and the confiscation of its property. According to a statement released by Mada Masr, security officials took Attalah into custody inside the courthouse following the verdict on charges of operating an unlicensed publication. Defense lawyers reported that the presiding judge rejected all requests to submit documentation or call witnesses, arbitrarily appointing an unknown public defense attorney while refusing to record formal objections in the official trial transcript. The sudden conviction follows years of state administrative harassment targeting Mada Masr, widely regarded as one of Egypt's last remaining independent newsrooms. Outlet representatives confirmed that Mada Masr has submitted repeated licensing applications to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation since 2018, but Egyptian authorities routinely ignored the filings while enforcing regulatory blockades. Human rights groups and press freedom advocates condemned the trial as a politically motivated crackdown aimed at extinguishing investigative reporting across the country. Attalah’s arrest and the judicial liquidation of Mada Masr mark a sharp escalation in Cairo's broader campaign against critical media, coming weeks after state authorities raided alternative newsrooms and detained scores of journalists on alleged national security charges.