Egyptian court convicts Mada Masr editor Lina Attalah, orders site closed

A Cairo court has convicted Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent outlet Mada Masr, of managing an unlicensed website and ordered the site shut down, The Guardian reports. Attalah was taken into custody after the verdict and has since been released.

Al Jazeera reports she was freed once a $53,400 fine was paid. It says she then learned the court had also passed a one-year sentence in her absence. The BBC, Deutsche Welle and The Guardian did not mention a sentence in the reports provided.

Amnesty International said the verdict against Attalah and Mada Masr was "a crushing blow to press freedom", the BBC reports. Deutsche Welle says rights groups condemned the ruling. Deutsche Welle and The Guardian both describe growing pressure on independent media in Egypt.