CAIRO: Egyptian authorities charged the founder of one of the country’s last independent media outlets with publishing false news on Monday, following a report alleging abuse at a Cairo prison facility.

Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of independent news website Mada Masr, was summoned on Monday to the offices of state security prosecutors where she was questioned and formally accused of “managing a website without a license and publishing false news in order to undermine stability”.

She was released after posting bail of 30,000 Egyptian pounds (around $620), Mada Masr said in a statement.

The charges are linked to a July 31 report that cited complaints from detainees at a prison in Cairo, including a leaked letter said to have been written by jailed former Alexandria governor Hassan El-Brens.

The letter described widespread abuses against El-Brens and a number of other detainees.

The report also included claims from relatives of imprisoned Muslim Brotherhood members, who said several inmates had begun a hunger strike in protest over prison conditions.

Amnesty International criticised on Monday the interrogation, calling it “deeply concerning” and stating that Attalah was targeted “solely for her leadership at Mada Masr and her commitment to protecting freedom of the press”.

Attalah’s summons came one day after the Ministry of Interior issued a statement denying the abuse allegations — without naming the outlet that published them — and dismissing the leaked letter as “fabricated”.

The ministry accused the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood of spreading “lies” and said legal measures were underway against those responsible.

Independent journalism in Egypt operates under severe restrictions, with authorities frequently targeting reporters critical of the government.

Mada Masr, founded in 2013, is one of just a handful of remaining independent news platforms in Egypt.

The website has been blocked by authorities inside the country for years and is only accessible through virtual private networks. It has frequently faced legal harassment, office raids and censorship.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2025