Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah faces prison as trial sparks international outcry

AI Summary

Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, head of independent outlet Mada Masr, faces a retrial on charges of operating without a licence and publishing false news. The UN has condemned what it describes as widening attacks on press freedom in Egypt; Attalah received a one-year prison sentence in absentia in 2024.

Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, head of independent news outlet Mada Masr, faces a criminal court retrial Wednesday over charges of operating without a licence and publishing false news. The UN criticised Egypt’s “widening assaults on press freedom” Tuesday. Attalah was previously handed a one-year prison sentence in absentia in 2024.