Three Mada Masr journalists are to face trial in early March on charges of “offendingMPs” from the state-aligned Nation’s Future Party and of “misusing communications channels.”

If convicted, the journalists could face between six months to two years in prison, along with fines ranging from LE50,000 to LE300,000.

The charges stem from the August 31 edition of Mada Masr’s daily Nashra, which included the names of the three journalists in the byline and reported on charges of “gross financial misconduct” that had been leveled at prominent Nation’s Future Party members by a state watchdog. According to sources that spoke to Mada Masr, deliberations were underway at the time within the party about possible fallout from the corruption charges, with the dismissal of several key members as a potential outcome. 

In response to Mada Masr’s report, hundreds of Nation’s Future Party lawmakers, leaders and members of the public nationwide who described themselves as party members submitted complaints against the journalists. 

Lina Attalah, Mada Masr’s editor-in-chief, and the three journalists were called in for investigation on September 7 on charges of violating the sanctity of private life and running a website with the intention of undertaking activities punishable by the draconian 2018 cybercrime law. They were charged with publishing false news with the intention of disturbing the public peace and damaging public interest, causing disturbance via social media, and slander and defamation of Nation’s Future Party members. Attalah, Mada Masr’s editor-in-chief, faced the additional charge of founding a website without a license. 

The journalists were released on the same day on bail, which was set at LE20,000 for Attalah, and at LE5,000 for the three other journalists.

Mada Masr has attempted since 2018 to obtain licensing under the new law regulating the press, submitting paperwork on multiple occasions, making official inquiries into the status of the application and attempting to contact officials at the press regulatory authority. Until now, Mada Masr has received no response regarding its legal status. According to the law, the Supreme Media Regulatory Council must notify the sites or entities that are refused a license or have not completed the necessary documents.

At the time of the September investigations, the head of the appellate prosecution stated that there were up to 800 complaints that had not been included in the investigation. Among these was one submitted by Sharif al-Sayed, a resident of the Kafr Saqr district in Sharqiya. 

It is this complaint that the prosecution has decided to proceed with in the trial of the Mada Masr journalists expected to start on March 7 before an economic circuit of the Mansoura Criminal Court.

In his complaint, Sayed stated that “the aforementioned offended leaders of the Nation’s Future Party” and that “what they did amounted to an offense against national leaders, which could undermine internal stability” and “impact the internal peace of the nation” at “a time when we are in need of internal cohesion given the present circumstances.”

Attalah decried the charges as an attack on press freedom. 

“It is a shame that journalists who do their job in a professional manner should face complaints which could threaten their freedom, at a time when we need to refrain from antagonism, and to welcome any work critical to those in or close to power,” Attalah said. “What could truly undermine domestic stability is strong-arming into legal punishment any work of criticism based on clear and factual information.”

Hassan al-Azhari, Mada Masr’s lawyer, echoed Attalah’s sentiment. “It’s a bad sign that journalists are being subject to trial for charges under the cybercrime law, which is intended for standard internet users, and that the legislation is being used for its penalties that entail deprivation of liberty,” Azhari said. 

“There are existing laws for journalism and the media,” he added, “as well as mechanisms within the professional syndicate that provide clear routes for accountability.”

Mada Masr has twice been exposed to security harassment. In relation to coverage published in November 2019, authorities arrested four journalists and editors after raiding Mada Masr’s offices and holding staff there for several hours. All were ultimately released. In May 2020, Attalah was arrested while interviewing the family of a political prisoner outside of the Tora Prison Complex. The public prosecutor issued an order for her release on the same day.