Key facts
- Mada Masr has been blocked in Egypt since 2017 and says it has sought a licence since a 2018 media law required one.
- Mada Masr says its most recent licence application, completed in 2023, received no formal decision from the media council.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists says 25 journalists are currently behind bars in Egypt.
- Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council rejected claims that Attalah's trial in October 2026 was unfair.
- The United States in September 2026 waived human rights conditions on part of the roughly $1.3 billion in annual military aid it provides to Egypt.
- All six staff of fact-checking outlet Matsaddash were arrested in September 2026 on suspicion of spreading misinformation for the banned Muslim Brotherhood; the outlet denies it.
An Egyptian court ordered Mada Masr, one of the country's best-known independent news sites, to close in October 2026, and the outlet has shut its office in Giza while it awaits an appeal, Reuters reported on November 10, 2026. Editor-in-chief Lina Attalah faces a separate case, with a retrial scheduled for November 11, 2026.
Attalah said she learned of the closure order only when signing papers for her release from detention after paying a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds ($56,200). She told Reuters the site is "in existential danger". Mada Masr, founded in 2013, has been blocked in Egypt since 2017 and says it has been seeking a licence since a 2018 media law introduced the requirement. Under the rules, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation must rule on applications within 90 days; Mada Masr says its most recent application, completed in 2023, has received no formal decision.
The media council has not commented specifically on Mada Masr's case, but said in the week before November 10, 2026, that it had issued numerous licences, that unlicensed sites made up a small share, and that it stood ready to help outlets complete their files. Egyptian authorities did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the case or on press freedom, and have repeatedly said the state is committed to freedom of expression while media must operate within the law and respect national security. Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council has rejected claims that Attalah's trial in October 2026 was unfair.
The UN human rights office said on November 10, 2026, that Egyptian authorities should allow journalists "to carry out their essential work free from intimidation and reprisals". The European Union said the "preservation and protection of independent media outlets are essential". The Committee to Protect Journalists says 25 journalists are currently behind bars in Egypt. In September 2026, all six staff of fact-checking outlet Matsaddash were arrested on suspicion of spreading misinformation on behalf of the banned Muslim Brotherhood; the outlet denies the accusation and the six remain in jail pending trial.
Lobna Darwish, head of advocacy at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the lack of a response to licence applications can leave independent outlets in limbo and at risk of prosecution for operating illegally. Shaher Ayyad, an editorial board member at independent site al-Manassa, said independent outlets are often portrayed as lawbreakers or enemies of the state. Al-Manassa has been blocked more than a dozen times since 2017, he said.
In September 2026, the United States waived human rights conditions, including protecting press freedoms, on part of the roughly $1.3 billion in annual military aid it provides to Egypt. Attalah said she wishes to remain in Egypt despite opportunities to leave and hopes the crisis ends by opening a "new page" for independent media sites that allows them to obtain licences.