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Egyptian journalist's retrial adjourned as UN warns of 'assaults on press freedom'
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Egyptian journalist and Mada Masr editor Lina Attalah was convicted for running an unlicensed website, fined $56,000, and ordered to shut down the independent news outlet, which has been blocked inside Egypt since 2017.
- Attalah faces a retrial for a prior one-year prison sentence issued in absentia in 2024 for "spreading false news," a charge frequently used against journalists and dissidents in Egypt.
- Mada Masr remains one of the few independent investigative media sources in Egypt, where press freedom is severely restricted, with the country ranking 169th out of 180 globally according to Reporters Without Borders.
- Recent crackdowns include the arrest and harsh treatment of six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsda2sh, charged with terrorism-related offenses without presented evidence.
- Human rights advocates urge the Egyptian government to end harassment of journalists and uphold freedom of expression, especially amid concerns over US military aid being released despite ongoing rights abuses.
