Arabic version: العفو الدولية تدعو إلى إنهاء القضية ضد لينا عطالله
According to Allafrica, Amnesty International said Lina Atallah, editor-in-chief of independent outlet Mada Masr, was summoned to appear before Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution for investigation in a new criminal case. The rights group called on Egyptian authorities to end what it described as judicial harassment of Atallah and Mada Masr staff.
Yasmine Ahmed, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Regional Impact, said this was the sixth case involving Mada Masr and its journalists in six years. Amnesty said the pattern illustrated what it called relentless harassment of independent journalists whose reporting challenges the state-controlled narrative. It said Atallah has led one of Egypt’s few remaining independent media outlets.
The organization said Atallah and colleagues at Mada Masr have faced six politically motivated prosecutions over the past six years. It said she was most recently summoned on 4 August 2025 over allegations including “spreading false news” and “operating a website without a license,” linked to a 31 July 2025 article on detention conditions in Badr 3 prison. She was released on bail pending investigation, Amnesty said, while investigations in five cases remain open.
Amnesty said the summons came weeks after the arbitrary arrest of six journalists from fact-checking platform Matsadaash, who it said were in pretrial detention pending criminal investigation. It also cited proceedings against journalist Rasha Azab after a Journalists Syndicate sit-in supporting the detained journalists. On 5 October 2026, Amnesty said, she was questioned over a social-media post, accused of terrorism-related charges and released on EGP 10,000 bail.
Mada Masr has unsuccessfully sought a license since 2018, according to the background provided by Amnesty. The organization said hundreds of websites, including Mada Masr and other media outlets and independent NGOs, remain blocked in Egypt. It urged authorities to release the Matsadaash journalists and allow reporting without intimidation, harassment or fear of reprisals.
