Key facts
- Mada Masr paid a 3 million Egyptian pound ($53,500) fine for Lina Attalah's release.
- Attalah was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison and a 20,000 Egyptian pound fine.
- A new court hearing is scheduled for November 11.
Egyptian authorities released prominent journalist Lina Attalah after her news outlet Mada Masr paid a 3 million Egyptian pound fine. A court ordered the closure of Mada Masr, which had applied for a license three years ago and received no reply. Attalah was convicted of managing an unlicensed website and sentenced in absentia to a year in prison and a 20,000 Egyptian pound fine. Her legal team has appealed the sentence, with a new court hearing scheduled for November 11. The crackdown follows the arrest of six journalists from the fact-checking platform Matsadaash, who were charged with belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood.