“Dark Day for Journalism”: Egypt Shutters Independent News Site Mada Masr, Detains Editor

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, transmitting from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, with Nermeen Shaikh in New York.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: today’s program with breaking news from Egypt. A court in Cairo has actually bought the closing of the independent news website Mada MasrThe court likewise bought the website’s editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, to be apprehended till she pays a fine of over $50,000. She was founded guilty on charges of handling an unlicensed site. After the court’s judgment, Attalah was nabbed.

AMY GOODMAN: We’re signed up with today by Sharif Abdel Kouddous, the Middle East editor at Drop Site Newsformerly operated at Mada Masr in Egypt for 4 years as a reporter and editor.

Sharif, speak about the significance of this breaking news.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Well, Amy, this is a dark day for journalism, not simply in Egypt, however in the whole Arab world. Mada Masr is among the last staying independent media outlets reporting the news in Egypt. It’s truly the flagship independent media outlet in Egypt and a pillar of independent media in the area.

It was established in 2013 in the middle of Egypt’s transformation and counterrevolution. It’s handled to endure all of these years in among the most hostile media environments for the media on the planet. It’s had its reporters imprisoned, foreign personnel deported. Its site has actually been obstructed for almost a years. Their workplaces were robbed by security forces. There are different types of intimidation, and the risk of jail time is constantly there. Lina herself has actually been transported before interrogation in various cases throughout the years.

What took place today is an extraordinary escalation. This has actually never ever occurred before. Lina Attalah or Mada Masr have actually never ever been described trial before. Hardly a week, you understand, after their being referred to trial, they hold a court session today, where Mada Masr‘s defense attorney are rejected a demand to even examine the case file, that’s offered to them in the minute. They’re expected to examine it right there on the area and provide their defense. The court then requires a recess to ponder the demand, returns into session, clears the whole courtroom of everybody other than for Lina and her legal representative, and after that fills it with plainclothes guard and gatekeeper. And after that the court reveals it’s turned down all the demands by the defense, consisting of to send any documents or hear any witnesses. And the judge then designates a legal representative for Lina, in spite of objections, obviously. And after that, after that, he simply summarily reads out the conviction.

And the conviction is fining Lina Attalah herself, as editor-in-chief and co-founder of Mada Masrto the optimum possible charge, which is a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds, which equates to about $50,000, the closure– and the closure of Mada Masrof the site, and the confiscation of its home. And after that security workers physically surrounded Lina, physically raised her off the ground and took her out of the courtroom. And she stays in custody now. Her legal representatives and her coworkers are rushing to collect the cash to pay the 3 million pounds before the court house closes in simply a couple of minutes from the time of this broadcast, so she does not need to invest the night in custody.

Actually, you understand, the future of Mada and of independent media in Egypt has actually suffered a really serious blow today. And if there is not a great deal of sound made about this by reporters around the globe, her coworkers and by the power brokers that this authoritarian Egyptian federal government depends on to endure, consisting of, naturally, the United States– you understand, Egypt’s the second-biggest recipient of U.S. foreign help worldwide– if there isn’t an outcry, then we might lose this essential media outlet in Egypt and in the area.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Sharif, as you discussed, obviously, Mada Masr has actually come under attack by the state numerous, sometimes and in numerous methods, however this, as you stated, is an unmatched escalation. Why do you believe this is occurring now?

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: It’s hard to state why now. Let’s remember this is coming less than a month after Egypt authorities apprehended a whole newsroom of Matsadaash6 individuals from– detained the whole newsroom of Matsadaashwhich is 6 reporters, tossed them into jail, questioned them, abused them and tortured them and required them to tape-record incorrect confessions, and they stay behind bars. Which was permitted to take place. That was likewise an escalation.

It’s following Sisi, the president of Egypt, revealed a bombshell recently, where he stated, for the very first time in Egyptian contemporary history, that he is not going to– he’s going to step down at the end of his term. Whether that takes place in 2030, whether that occurs or not, we do not understand. Not that it will be a democratic shift, however the reality that he will turn over power in some method.

It’s likewise coming as Egypt has, controversially, consented to send its military to Saudi Arabia to, what they stated was, resist attacks by Ansar Allah and the Houthis in Yemen. It’s coming as Egypt held this huge conference, you understand, admiring its accomplishments over the previous couple of years.

It’s likewise coming as the world is on fire, and, you understand, no one might be paying attention to what’s taking place in Egypt and what’s taking place to Mada MasrYou have elections worldwide that are substantial, that have actually taken place in Brazil and Serbia. You have an election today in Israel. You have the U.S. midterms next week. You have the genocide continuing in Gaza. You have a war raving in between Ansar Allah and Saudi Arabia and all throughout the area.

Therefore, it’s likewise coming at a time, I believe, when the authorities– they’ve been attempting to close Mada for several years. When I was working there, they robbed our workplaces and carried Lina away in front of us, and the handling editor and Rana Mamdouh, a senior press reporter, and attempted to imprison them. And they had the case all set and whatever. And it was just pressure from foreign federal governments that had them launched, and from uniformity within Egypt. This might be the minute where they can close it down and get away with it.

AMY GOODMAN: Sharif, we need to leave it there, however we’ll continue to follow this. Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Middle East editor at Drop Site Newsformerly operated at Mada Masr in Egypt for 4 years as reporter and editor. To see our interviews with Lina Attalah, go to democracynow.org.

We need to end today, and I wish to thank the incredible trainee group here at Fort Collins, Colorado State University, at Rocky Mountain Student Media, CTV: Michael Urbaniak and Laila Duran and Hazel Canner and Calvin Masten and Devon Allen and, too, Josh Middleton and Hana Shiro and Beth Ryan.

I’ll be appearing tonight at Colorado State University’s Democracy Summit with a screening of Take This Story, Please! at 6:30 at the Lory Student Center Theatre, and it will be followed by a Q&A with the movie’s director, Tia Lessin, along with the mediator with us, Colorado State University President Amy Parsons. That does it for our program. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.