Egyptian authorities released Mada Masr's editor-in-chief Lina Attalah on bail today, following her interrogation over a report alleging abuse in Badr 3 prison.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered Attalah's release pending investigation, against a bail of 30,000 Egyptian pounds (around $620), according to Mada Masr lawyer Hassan Elazhary, who spoke to Al Manassa.
The case, numbered 6182/2025, centers on a July 31 report titled “Badr 3: Where prisoners face slow death,” which detailed allegations of rights violations at the Badr 3 correctional facility.
“The interrogation focused solely on that article and the related social media posts,” Elazahry confirmed, adding that prosecutors accused Attalah of “operating an unlicensed website and publishing false news with the intent to spread panic and undermine stability.”
The report included a handwritten letter from senior Muslim Brotherhood figure Hassan Al-Brens, who has been imprisoned for 12 years. Titled “My will from the death ward,” Al-Brens allegedly passed the letter to someone he encountered during a transfer from Badr 3 to Cairo Criminal Court.
On Aug. 1, a day after the report was published, the Interior Ministry issued a statement denying the claims. An unnamed security source within the ministry described the letter as “fabricated,” framing it as part of “the lies spread by the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group to discredit Egypt's modern penal policy.” The ministry also stated that legal action was underway against those responsible for publishing the report.
In a statement published Sunday, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms condemned Attalah's interrogation, expressing “deep concern over the continued targeting of independent journalism and reporters through State Security investigations, rather than probing the abuses they expose.”
The commission described Attalah's questioning as “part of a broader pattern of repression against independent media,” and urged authorities to end such tactics and respect the right to publish. It also called on the state to uphold the Egyptian constitution and international commitments protecting press freedom.
This is not the first time Attalah has faced legal action. In February 2024, the Cairo Appeals Prosecution released her on bail of 5,000 pounds (around $110) following a complaint by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation accusing her of “spreading false news and running an unlicensed website.”
The complaint was filed over a Mada Masr article titled “Egypt leans toward conditional acceptance of any forced Palestinian displacement by Israel,” which cited pressure on Egypt to admit Palestinians fleeing Gaza.
The site later apologized for the headline, revising it to “Tough Egyptian negotiations over potential forced displacement of Palestinians by Israel.”
