Egyptian security forces detained prominent Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, the chief editor of leading independent news website Mada Masr, after her trial hearing on Tuesday (October 27, 2026), her outlet reported.
A court fined Ms. Attalah three million Egyptian pounds (around $53,400) for operating the website without a licence, the maximum possible penalty for the misdemeanour she was charged with, and ordered Mada's closure.
"Security personnel then surrounded Attalah, lifted her off the ground and took her out of the courtroom, where she remains in custody in the courthouse," said the independent media, which says it has not received a response from authorities about its licence application since 2023.
Her trial marks what rights groups have described as a sharp escalation in Cairo's crackdown on press freedom.
It comes weeks after the high-profile arrest of an entire fact-checking newsroom, on charges of fake news, which are frequently levelled against media seen to be critical of the government.
Hossam Bahgat, head of prominent rights group the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), was present at the court and gave AFP an account of events.
After a brief recess during the hearing Tuesday (October 27), the defence team said the judge ordered the room cleared except for Ms. Attalah and her lawyers, before security officers also entered the room.
Ms. Attalah's eight-person defence team had made procedural requests denied by the court, which then announced it had appointed its own lawyer for the journalist.
"In a move that astonished all those present, the judge recorded in the official court minutes that the court had appointed a lawyer from the Lawyers' Syndicate to represent the defence," Mr. Bahgat said.
"Lina herself spoke up to object to this lawyer being appointed to represent her, which the judge refused to record in the court minutes. In an even more shocking turn, the judge proceeded to dictate motions on behalf of this lawyer -- who had not uttered a single word -- and entered them into the official record," he added.
The judge then announced the three million Egyptian pound fine and ordered Mada's closure "amid shouts and protests from the defence", before Ms. Attalah was detained by the security personnel in the room.
Her defence team is currently trying to secure her release on bail.
'Wiping out' free press
This is the sixth case brought against Ms. Attalah and Mada Masr in as many years, but none has ever gone to trial.
Egypt, which has long faced criticism over its crackdown on press freedoms, is currently holding 26 journalists in connection with their work, according to an EIPR tally.
The current crackdown "can only mean that Egypt's security agencies are moving from years of harassing independent media to wiping them out completely," Mr. Bahgat had told AFP when Ms. Attalah was referred to trial.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) branded the court's decision as "outrageous".
"This shameful ruling must be overturned immediately, and Lina Atallah released at once!" the group said in a statement.
Earlier this month, six journalists from fact-checking platform Matsadaash were charged with terrorism offences, after being arrested in a series of raids in September.
EIPR, which represents the journalists, said they had reported torture following their arrests, allegations denied by the Interior Ministry.
Authorities accused them of links to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and spreading "rumours and false news" to undermine confidence in state institutions and incite people to protest.
They are currently being held on pretrial detention, which rights groups say can be extended for months or years before detainees are released or face trial.