Egypt: Editor-in-Chief of Critical Independent Newspaper Al-Sissi Arrested

Lina Attallah, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Mada Masr, whose tone is often critical of the regime of Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, was arrested on Sunday May 17, the publication's lawyer told AFP. 

She was arrested outside Tora prison, Cairo, Egypt, while interviewing human rights activist Laila Soueif, mother of opponent Alaa Abdel Fattah, currently detained and on strike. hunger.

"The prison guards asked Lina Attallah to show her identity card and called him later for a three-hour interrogation," Mada Masr's lawyer Hassan al-Azhari told AFP. . "We then learned that she was taken to a police station in Maadi (south of Cairo) and that she will be referred to the prosecution tomorrow morning," he added.

Hassan al-Azhari also assured that the reasons for the editor's arrest remain unknown.

Security forces arrested Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, a short while ago from outside Tora Prison, where she had been interviewing Laila Soueif, the mother of imprisoned activist Alaa Abd El Fattah. pic.twitter.com/awYpvT9bhU

Among the hundreds of information sites blocked by the authorities

Mada Masr, an online Arabic and English newspaper, publishes investigations into security issues and corruption.

The publication is among the hundreds of news sites blocked by the authorities in recent years and whose access is only possible for Egyptians by a VPN (virtual private network) application.

Last November, police carried out a search of the newspaper's premises in Cairo, briefly arresting three media journalists, including Lina Attalah.

Since the coming to power of Abdel Fattah al-Sissi in 2014, a wave of ruthless repression has taken place against Egyptian journalists, opponents and activists.

Egypt occupies 166th place in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom 2020 ranking, in which it lost three places compared to the previous year. According to RSF, 29 journalists are currently imprisoned in Egypt.

With AFP

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