The appeal of Lina Attallah against the fine of three million Egyptian pounds and the order of closure of Mada Masr must be examined on 25 November 2026. The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, which participates in its defence, confirmed this deadline on 2 November. The editor-in-chief of the independent media, released after the judgement of 27 October, is also expected before the court on 11 November in a separate procedure.
An appeal against the fine and the closure
The October 27 judgment emanates from the New Caire Correctional Court. It punishes the management of a site without a licence and also orders the confiscation of its equipment. In its October 28 update, Human Rights Watch states that Lina Attallah was detained after the hearing and released a few hours later after the fine was paid.
The appeal was announced on 2 November by the Egyptian press lawyer Hassan al-Azhari. It confirms that the defence challenged the judgement, beyond the sole intention to appeal immediately after its pronunciation.
Defence and the judiciary oppose the hearing
According to the report published by the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression on 2 November, lawyers requested, among other things, to consult the file, obtain documents relating to the licence and have witnesses heard. The association claims that the court rejected their applications and appointed another lawyer despite the opposition of Lina Attala and her counsel. These grievances are those of the defence, not the conclusions of a decision annulling the trial.
The Supreme Council of the Judiciary challenges this presentation. In a statement of position issued on 2 November, the Council stated that it had respected the defence guarantees and allowed lawyers to consult the exhibits. The Council had also stated on 31 October that the journalist had given up her appeal in writing. His lawyers denied this statement the next day. The registration of the appeal and the announcement of a hearing are the last known stage of this procedural controversy.
Licence applications at the centre of the file
In its statement of 27 October, Amnesty International recalls that Mada Masr had applied for a licence in 2018 and then in 2020 to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation. According to the organisation, the media had received no response and learned in 2022 that an application had been rejected. He challenged this refusal before the courts, without winning the case.
Amnesty also reports on a new process of regularization that has not been answered and calls for the closure order to be cancelled. The organisation believes that licensing rules are used to restrict independent journalism. This assessment belongs to him. The applications submitted by Mada Masr do not in themselves qualify for a licence.
11 November concerns another decision
A second deadline must be distinguished from the call announced on 25 November. In a collective communiqué issued on 28 October by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the signatories explain that Lina Attallah learned, during the formalities of her release, of the existence of a default judgment handed down in 2024. This decision provides for one year in prison for the dissemination of false information and the exploitation of a site without a licence.
The same news release states that his lawyers filed an objection and that a hearing was scheduled for November 11. The two court meetings therefore deal with different decisions: the old default conviction, on the one hand, and the judgment issuing the fine and closing the sentence, on the other. As of 3 November 2026, the announcement of these hearings does not prejudge their outcome or the annulment of the contested sanctions.
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