Egypt detains journalist Lina Attalah after court ruling

Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the country's leading independent news outlet Mada Masr, was detained by security forces after being fined in a swift trial on Tuesday, the publication said.

Following a single hearing, a misdemeanour court ordered the closure of the website and fined Attalah around €850 for operating it "without a licence", according to the independent outlet.

Security personnel then "surrounded her, lifted her off the ground and carried her out of the courtroom", Mada Masr said, adding that she remained in custody at the courthouse.

Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), who was present at the hearing, said the judge delivered his ruling "amid shouts and protests from defence lawyers", shortly before Attalah was detained.

Human rights organisations have described the trial as a dangerous escalation in Egypt's crackdown on press freedom.

It comes just weeks after the high-profile arrest of journalists from Matsadaash, another online platform specialising in fact-checking. Its journalists were accused of spreading "false information" and having links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Such accusations are frequently brought against media outlets perceived as critical of the government.

This is the sixth legal case involving Attalah and Mada Masr in six years, although none of the previous cases had gone to trial.

Egypt, which has repeatedly faced criticism over its restrictions on press freedom, currently holds 26 journalists in detention because of their work, according to EIPR.

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