Key Highlights
- Lina Attalah's retrial adjourned until November 18 amid legal challenges.
- UN warns of increasing assaults on press freedom in Egypt.
- Mada Masr remains a rare independent outlet facing significant legal hurdles.
In a courtroom in Cairo, the weight of justice hangs heavily as the retrial of Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent news outlet Mada Masr, faces yet another adjournment. This week, the court postponed proceedings until November 18 after Attalah's lawyers requested the recusal of the presiding judge, Mohamed Mubarak, citing concerns that he had already formed a conviction against her. This case has garnered international attention, with the United Nations Human Rights Office highlighting it as part of a broader pattern of press freedom violations in Egypt.
The UN's spokesperson, Thameen Al-Kheetan, expressed alarm over the ongoing targeting and harassment of independent journalists in Egypt. The office's statement emphasized that Attalah's case raises serious concerns regarding due process and fair trial rights. Furthermore, the UN has called for the release of six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsada2sh, who were arrested in September and remain in pretrial detention. Their lawyers have alleged torture and forced confessions, claims that the UN insists must be thoroughly investigated.
Attalah's legal troubles are complex and layered. Last month, she was convicted of operating a website without a license, a charge she claims she has attempted to resolve for years through unanswered applications. The court imposed a hefty fine of three million Egyptian pounds (approximately $56,000) and ordered the closure of Mada Masr. Adding to her legal woes, Attalah discovered that she had been sentenced in absentia in 2024 to one year in prison for
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