A ruling was issued to close the Mada Masr website and fine its editor-in-chief, Lina Atallah

On Tuesday, an Egyptian court fined the editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, Lina Atallah, and closed the website, which is one of the most prominent independent news platforms in the country, after Atallah was convicted of running the website without a license. Mada Masr website reported that its editor-in-chief was detained after the New Cairo Misdemeanor Court issued a ruling fining her three million pounds ($54,000), closing the website, and confiscating its equipment and devices.

The Foundation for Freedom of Thought and Expression said in a statement: “The ruling was issued without Atallah’s original defense team presenting its plea on the subject of the accusation, after the lawyers adhered to their procedural requests related to reviewing the case papers, including licensing documents, and hearing witnesses, which were requests that the court rejected.” According to the human rights organization, the defense requested “to include the entire Mada Masr website license application file from the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, and to submit the original of the decision regarding the license refusal and a statement of the party that issued it.”

The organization indicated that the website, which was established in June 2013, had previously submitted applications to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation to obtain a license. Last Thursday, the Supreme State Security Prosecution referred Lina Atallah to trial before the New Cairo Misdemeanor Court, on charges of “publishing and broadcasting false news and data inside and outside the country that would harm security and public order, in addition to running a website without a license from the competent authorities,” according to the Foundation for Freedom of Thought and Expression.