Proceedings in the retrial of Lina Attalah have been paused until 18 November to evaluate a formal defence challenge seeking the removal of Judge Mohamed Mubarak. Defence attorney Hassan al-Azhari argued that the presiding judge has already demonstrated prejudice against the prominent editor. In an earlier 27 October ruling, Mubarak imposed a three-million-pound fine on Attalah alongside an order mandating the shutdown of Mada Masr. The sustained judicial scrutiny coincides with broader state measures against critical media, including the September detention of the entire Matsadaash fact-checking staff.
Key points
The editor faces charges of operating an unlicensed website and publishing false news fol…: The editor faces charges of operating an unlicensed website and publishing false news following a 2024 conviction handed down in her absence.
Independent media outlets in Egypt face mounting legal and operational hurdles that threa…: Independent media outlets in Egypt face mounting legal and operational hurdles that threaten their continued existence.
Authorities detained all six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsadaash durin…: Authorities detained all six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsadaash during a wider media crackdown in September.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
An Egyptian court on Wednesday adjourned the retrial of Mada Masr editor-in-chief Lina Attalah until 18 November to consider a defence request for the judge’s removal, the independent news outlet said.
Attalah faces charges of publishing false news and operating a website without a licence in a case in which she was sentenced to a year in prison in her absence in 2024.
Mada Masr’s lawyer, Hassan al-Azhari, said the defence would submit its grounds for seeking the judge’s removal ahead of the next hearing, arguing that he had “already formed a view against the defendant”.
The presiding judge, Mohamed Mubarak, also issued a ruling on 27 October in a separate case fining Attalah three million Egyptian pounds (about $56,000) and ordering Mada Masr’s closure.
The proceedings come amid a wider crackdown on independent media, including the detention in September of all six journalists working for fact-checking outlet Matsadaash.
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