Today’s podcast is a special edition of the MERIP Roundtable featuring Lina Attalah, editor in chief of Mada Masr, the leading independent media organization in Egypt. James Ryan and Hesham Sallam  spoke with her about Egypt’s current crackdown on independent journalism, and Mada Masr in particular. Following the arrest of the independent fact-checkers at Matsadaash in late September, Lina Attalah was subjected to a six-hour interrogation by Egyptian authorities on October 21. She was later charged with operating a news organization without a license, despite the fact that Mada Masr has made numerous attempts to obtain one. Those charges were referred to trial last week, which resulted in a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds (over $54,000 ), Atallah’s brief imprisonment and a court order to close Mada Masr’s operations. Last week, MERIP’s Board of Directors signed two separate letters, along with over 100 other civil society organizations and media outlets, to condemn the Egyptian government’s prosecution of Mada Masr and Attalah. In addition to updating listeners with the latest news about their struggles, Attalah discussed Mada Masr’s origins, how the political situation in Egypt has led to such severe repression of independent media and how regional and international supporters are working together to fight the ongoing prosecution of Mada Masr, Matsadaash and others. 

Further Reading

Mada Masr

Matsadaash