Crackdown on Journalists Intensifies in Egypt, Putting Independent Media Under Growing Pressure

Cairo: Government actions against independent journalism in Egypt have intensified significantly in recent weeks. According to human rights and press freedom organizations, authorities arrested six journalists from a single newsroom within a month, prosecuted prominent journalist Lina Attalah, and summoned other independent journalists for questioning.

In the latest development, a Cairo court on October 27 ordered the closure of the independent news website Mada Masr. The court convicted its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, of operating a website without a licence, imposed a fine of approximately $53,400 on her, and ordered the confiscation of the organisation’s assets. Mada Masr said it had applied for a licence in 2018 but had received no clear response from the authorities.

Meanwhile, all six journalists affiliated with Matsadaash, an investigative journalism and fact-checking platform, were arrested. Egyptian authorities have accused them of terrorism-related offences, spreading false news, and receiving foreign funding. The journalists’ colleagues and lawyers have rejected the allegations, saying the arrests are an attempt to silence independent journalism and criticism of government institutions.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 25 journalists are currently imprisoned in Egypt, marking the highest number since 2021. The organization says the government is no longer targeting individual journalists alone but is also placing independent media organizations, their financial resources, and press associations under increasing pressure. Amnesty International has also expressed concern over the continued legal proceedings against Lina Attalah, describing them as part of a campaign to harass independent journalism.