After Mada and Matsadaash, EU urges Egypt to protect independent media
The European Union has called for the preservation and protection of independent media in Egypt, describing them as “essential” to its shared commitment with Egypt to democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In a statement issued Thursday in the name of Anouar El Anouni, the EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, the bloc stressed that freedom of expression is a “fundamental right for both the European Union and Egypt.”
The statement followed a ruling two days earlier ordering the closure of independent news outlet Mada Masr, while six journalists from fact-checking platform Matsadaash remain in detention.
The EU statement cited the two main frameworks governing its relations with Cairo, noting that the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership and the Association Agreement entail a “shared commitment to the universal values of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
It also pointed to Egypt’s National Human Rights Strategy, which seeks to enhance pluralism and diversity of opinions, and noted that Egyptian laws recognize the right to freedom of opinion and expression. “In light of such, the preservation and the protection of independent media outlets are essential,” the statement said.
While the EU statement addressed the detention of the Matsadaash editorial team and the conviction of Mada Masr Editor-in-Chief Lina Attalah, it did not call for their release or for the court ruling to be overturned, nor did it urge Egyptian authorities to take any specific action.
The Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement entered into force in June 2004 and serves as the legal foundation for relations between the two parties. On March 17, 2024, they signed a joint declaration launching a Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, accompanied by a 7.4 billion euro EU support package for 2024/27.
The package includes 5 billion euros in concessional loans, 1.8 billion euros in additional investments and 600 million euros in grants. The Egyptian government launched its National Human Rights Strategy in 2021.
Fines, closure and confiscation
On Tuesday, a New Cairo misdemeanor court fined Lina Attalah 3 million Egyptian pounds ($54,000) at the first hearing of her trial on charges of operating a website without a license. The court also ordered the site’s closure and the confiscation of its equipment, the maximum penalty under Egypt’s Press and Media Regulation Law.
According to the defense team, representatives of the European Union and diplomats from Germany, France, Austria, Denmark, Spain, Belgium and Sweden, as well as envoys from the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway and Switzerland, were barred from attending the hearing.
On the same day as the ruling against Attalah, the Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered the detention of six Matsadaash journalists extended by 15 days pending investigations in Case No. 8083 of 2026. They are Mohamed Ashraf, Abdullah Qadri, Islam Barakat, Omar Hilal, Mohamed Adel and Mohamed Mahmoud, who make up the platform’s entire editorial team.
National Council for Human Rights weighs in on licensing issues
Separately, the National Council for Human Rights said it had reviewed the difficulties facing websites seeking to regularize their legal status during its monthly meeting on Wednesday, which addressed the latest developments in Egypt’s human rights situation.
In a statement published on its social media accounts Thursday, the council made no mention of Mada Masr or Matsadaash. It said it intended to “continue consultations with the relevant official bodies, including the Supreme Council for Media Regulation and the Journalists Syndicate, to explore ways to address this issue and reach appropriate solutions.”
Journalists Syndicate head Khaled Elbalshy had previously announced that the syndicate was preparing a legal challenge to the ruling, saying the speed of the proceedings raised serious questions about whether the defense had been given sufficient time to present its case.
In a statement posted on Facebook hours after the ruling against Attalah, Elbalshy called for transparent rules governing news website licenses that apply equally to all outlets, allowing outlets to complete licensing procedures, an end to prosecutions related to unlicensed operations, the lifting of blocks on news websites, and institutional dialogue with the syndicate on the licensing system.
He described the case as a “wake-up call for everyone” and warned that it sent messages at odds with the outcomes of the National Dialogue and media development committees, which aim to ease restrictions on journalism.
Wave of international, human rights and political condemnation
The ruling against Lina Attalah prompted widespread condemnation from human rights groups and international organizations, including Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and the International Federation of Journalists. They called for the ruling to be overturned, the closure order halted and detainees released.
US Democratic Rep. Don Beyer described the ruling as a “massive escalation” and urged Egyptian authorities to reverse it.
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the ruling, calling for it to be overturned and for the escalating campaign against independent journalism to end.
Sarah Qudah, the committee’s regional director, described the ruling as “a devastating blow to press freedom in Egypt and a direct message aimed at dismantling independent media in the country.”
Opposition parties also condemned the ruling. In a statement Wednesday, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party said it was deeply concerned, stressing that the case was not about one journalist or media outlet but raised fundamental questions about the future of press freedom in Egypt and the relationship between regulating media work and safeguarding its independence.
The party said disputes over licensing procedures or compliance with legal requirements should be handled through clear, transparent administrative and legal processes that guarantee the right to complete applications, file grievances and appeal decisions. It warned against expanding criminal liability in matters that should be resolved through the appropriate mechanisms and applied equally to all, in line with constitutional protections for press freedom.
Al-Dostour (Constitution) Party also expressed solidarity with Attalah in a statement Wednesday and rejected the closure of Mada Masr. It called for the ruling’s consequences to be reviewed through available legal channels and for laws and practices restricting journalism to be reconsidered, so journalists and media workers can perform their duties without fear or intimidation and calls to uphold the Constitution and expand public space can become reality.
The Bread and Freedom Party, which is still being established, likewise expressed solidarity with Mada Masr journalists and its editor-in-chief. It said the threat of closure extended the crackdown seen against Matsadaash, whose entire editorial team was arrested, further narrowing the space for independent journalism and threatening both media workers’ right to do their jobs and the public’s right to information and access to facts.