An Egyptian court has ordered the closure of the independent digital media Mada Masr this Tuesday and the detention of its co-founder and editor-in-chief, Lina Atalá, to whom it has imposed a fine of nearly 48,000 euros for managing a news portal without the license required by the authorities.
The Minor Offenses Court of New Cairo has ruled the closure of the media outlet and the seizure of its assets, striking a blow to one of the few communication spaces that still existed in the country with a critical editorial line since its inception in 2013, the same year of the coup led by Abdelfatá al Sisi.
The portal, which claims to have tried to obtain a license on several occasions without success, has reported on its social media that the judge has rejected "all procedural allegations presented by the defense, including requests to submit any documentation or hear any witness."
According to Mada Masr's account, the judge "suddenly requested the presence of a lawyer outside the defense team and announced that the court had decided to appoint a lawyer for Atalá," after ordering the evacuation of the room, despite the fact that the journalist already had eight lawyers of her choice present at the hearing.
"Finally, the judge issued the conviction amid shouts and protests from the defense. He sentenced Atalá to the maximum possible penalty (...) Immediately afterward, security personnel surrounded Atalá, lifted her off the ground, and took her out of the room, where she remains in custody inside the judicial building," the media added in a detailed statement about what happened.
The court ruling is interpreted as a severe blow to independent journalism in Egypt, where press freedom remains heavily restricted. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which has labeled the ruling as "outrageous" and has called for its immediate annulment, ranks Egypt 169th out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index.
Amnesty International has also reacted to the verdict, lamenting a "devastating setback for press freedom in" the North African country.
Lina Atalá and other professionals from Mada Masr have been arrested several times and subjected to interrogations in recent years on charges such as the dissemination of false news or the alleged threat to national security.
Diverse human rights organizations have been denouncing that the government of President Al Sisi represses dissent and systematically reinforces its control over public space and political debate in Egypt.