Egypt: CFWIJ Demands Immediate Drop Of Charges For All Three Mada Masr Women Journalists On Trial

Location: Egypt, Cairo
Date: February 28 2023

Three women journalists from Mada Masr, Egypt's most prominent independent news outlet, are on trial on charges of offending members of parliament from a pro-government leading party and misusing media channels. The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands the immediate cessation of the trial against all three journalists. 

On Tuesday the news organization, Mada Masr, reported that three women journalists working with the media outlet had been referred to trial.  over an offensive article published on August 31, 2022. The article included accusations of corruption against several senior members of the Nation's Future Party in "gross financial misconduct". The party, which strongly supports President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and is a dominant force in Egypt's parliament, denied the report and its members and followers submitted hundreds of complaints against the journalists.

Following the publication of the article, the controversy between the authorities and Mada Masr has increasingly escalated. Security forces in civilian garb raided the office and held three senior journalists inside the premises, after seizing their laptops and mobile phones, for several hours.

If convicted, the reporters could face up to two years in prison, as well as fines of up to 300,000 EGP. There was no immediate comment from judicial authorities.

Egypt is ranked as the world's third-worst jailer of journalists. According to reports, 24 journalists are currently imprisoned in the country. The state of free media in Egypt has deteriorated significantly after the then-defense minister Sisi, overthrew the country's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, in July 2013.

Over 500 local and international websites of organizations and news outlets, including Mada Masr and Human Rights Watch, have been banned in the country over the past years. 

Mada Masr is one of the few remaining outlets attempting to act against the authoritarian regime. The independent outlet offers its readers quality journalism in both Arabic and English. However, the news organization is lately struggling to operate in Egypt after a far-reaching crackdown on political dissent and curbs on independent civil society. Its website is blocked within Egypt and its Cairo offices were raided in 2019.

Mada Masr’s defense team affirmed the integrity of its reporting and its commitment to professional journalistic standards, adding that they are working in some of the hardest conditions possible.  Mada Masr’s defense team reviewed the texts of the complaints that were filed and found that they all use identical terminology, accusing journalists Rana Mamdouh, Beesan Kassab and Sara Seif Eddin of spreading false news, among other charges.

Its editor, Lina Attalah, has been charged with founding a website without a license even though Mada Masr has attempted since 2018 to obtain a license under a new law regulating the press, but has received no response to repeated inquiries.

All three women journalists are being subjected to trial for charges under the cybercrime law, which is intended for standard internet users. The legislation is clearly being used for its penalties that entail deprivation of liberty. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism decries the charges against Rana Mamdouh, Beesan Kassab and Sara Seif Eddin as an attack on press freedom. We demand charges against all three Mada Masr journalists be dropped immediately. Journalism is not a crime.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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