Lina Attalah faces one-year prison sentence in Egypt
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Citizen Digital
Lina Attalah, director of Mada Masr, faces a one-year prison sentence as Egyptian authorities continue pressure on independent media. The journalist says the proceedings aim to further reduce space for the independent press, according to Agence France-Presse.
Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, director of Mada Masr, faces a one-year prison sentence handed down in absentia as part of proceedings targeting the independent media outlet, according to AFP. Attalah believes the proceedings are part of a new phase of restrictions against independent media in Egypt.
The head of Mada Masr was also sentenced last month by a misdemeanour court to a fine of three million Egyptian pounds, around $55,000, for operating the website without a licence, according to AFP. She says Mada Masr had tried to obtain a licence since the law was adopted in 2018.
Lina Attalah was detained for more than seven hours after a hearing during which her team of eight lawyers challenged the conduct of the proceedings. She told AFP that she was surprised by her detention, as she had expected a sentence limited to a fine.
The proceedings have prompted reactions from the European Union and members of the US Congress. One hundred and thirty-five media and rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have described the current campaign against the independent press as "unprecedented", according to AFP.
