Egypt fines prominent editor Lina Attalah and shuts independent news outlet Mada Masr

Warnings of escalating clampdown on press freedom come after Cairo court convicts Attalah of managing an unlicensed website

Lina Attalah, a prominent Egyptian journalist and the editor-in-chief of the news outlet Mada Masr, has been released from detention by Egypt’s authorities and had her website ordered to be shut down by a court amid an intensifying crackdown on independent media in the country.

Attalah was taken briefly into custody after a Cairo court convicted her of managing an unlicensed website, prompting fresh international concerns over press freedom in Egypt.

According to Mada Masr, Attalah was released after the news outlet had paid a fine of 3m Egyptian pounds ($53,500; £40,100), prompting statements of support from global human rights groups.