Egypt's last surviving free press being 'silenced': leading journalist facing jail

AI Summary

Egyptian authorities have detained staff at fact-checking platform Matsadaash, ordered the closure of Mada Masr, and sentenced its chief, Lina Attalah, to a year in prison in absentia. Attalah says the cases are part of an effort to silence independent journalism and was due to face court proceedings.

Egypt's latest prosecution of journalists attempts to "silence" the last surviving vestiges of the free press, Lina Attalah, head of preeminent outlet Mada Masr, told AFP days before she faces jail time in court. In recent weeks, Egypt has detained the entire staff of fact-checking platform Matsadaash, ordered the closure of Mada Masr and informed its chief of a one-year prison sentence handed down in absentia. "It's hard to separate between those two incidents," she told AFP.