The facts

  1. The New Cairo Misdemeanor Court ordered the website’s closure. Reuters also reported an order to confiscate its equipment, citing Mada Masr’s statement. [1][2]

  2. Attalah’s lawyers told Reuters that the court rejected requests to review the case file and submit evidence, then appointed another lawyer over her objection. These are attributed defense accounts. [2]

  3. Reuters said Attalah learned during release procedures of a separate one-year sentence handed down in absentia in 2024. A retrial of that separate case was set for 11 November; it is not the penalty imposed in the new case. [2]

  4. CPJ and 129 organizations condemned the closure order on 28 October. Reuters reported that state authorities had not immediately answered its request for comment. [1][2]

  5. Defense lawyers filed an appeal against the closure and fine ruling, and the New Cairo Misdemeanor Appeals Court set a hearing for 25 November, Al Manassa and Ahram Online report, citing the defense lawyer; AFTE also reports the hearing date. [3][4][5]

  6. Mada Masr says Attalah did not waive her right to appeal, disputing a statement by Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council that she had signed a waiver after paying the fine. That dispute remains attributed to the parties. [3][4]

Still unconfirmed

  • The written judgment and appellate docket were not directly obtained.
  • The appeal's effect on enforcement has not been independently verified; the account that it suspends enforcement is attributed to counsel.

Corrections & updates

Substantive update, 3 November: Al Manassa, Ahram Online and AFTE report that Attalah's defense appealed the closure and fine ruling and an appellate hearing is scheduled for 25 November. Mada Masr disputes the Supreme Judicial Council's claim that Attalah waived her appeal right; the written judgment and docket remain unavailable in the sources reviewed.

Sources

References support the numbered facts above. Source checks: 3 Nov 2026, 22:07 UTC.

  1. 28 October statement on the conviction and closure order

    Committee to Protect Journalists · Primary source · 28 Oct 2026

    Primary source for the organizations’ response; its legal account draws on the case and outlet, not an independently retrieved court judgment.

  2. Court order, lawyer interviews and same-day release

    Reuters, via MarketScreener · Reporting · 27 Oct 2026

  3. Attalah challenges Mada Masr shutdown verdict, appeal hearing set

    Al Manassa · Reporting · 2 Nov 2026

    Reports counsel's account that lawyers filed an appeal and that a hearing was set; it also records Mada Masr's denial that Attalah waived appeal rights.

  4. Mada Masr appeal against closure and fine ruling set for 25 November

    Ahram Online · Reporting · 2 Nov 2026

    Reports the hearing date, citing Mada Masr and defense lawyer Hassan El-Azhary; no court document was retrieved.

  5. November 25 Set for Hearing Lina Attalah's Appeal Against Fine and Closure of Mada Masr

    Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression · Reporting · 2 Nov 2026

    The Egyptian legal-rights organization reported the appeal hearing schedule and case context; it is not a court record.

Report a factual error