A Cairo court has ordered the closure of Mada Masr, one of Egypt's few remaining independent news outlets. The decision follows the conviction of the site's editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, for managing an unlicensed website.
Attalah was briefly taken into custody and fined three million Egyptian pounds, approximately $53,400, for operating the outlet without a license. Although she was released from detention after the fine was paid, a one-year sentence was subsequently passed in her absence.
Rights groups have condemned the ruling as a major blow to press freedom in Egypt. The shutdown occurs amid an intensifying crackdown on independent media, sparking international concerns over the growing pressure facing independent journalists in the country.