Exposing the Egyptian role in the deportation plan leads the editor-in-chief of ‘Mada Masr’ to investigate
Watan-The opposition website “Mada Masr” stated that the Public Prosecution in the country has summoned the editor-in-chief of the website, Lina Attallah, to appear before it on Tuesday morning, next February 20th, for interrogation in case number 22 of 2023, exclusive to the Public Prosecution of Cairo Appeals.
The summons, which reached the Journalists Syndicate last Wednesday, came two days after “Mada Masr” published an investigative report about the businessman close to the Sisi regime, Ibrahim al-Arjani, seizing control of the traffic business from the Rafah crossing in both directions, as well as dominating commercial activities in Sinai.
Previous summons
The prosecution had previously summoned Lina Attallah at the end of last November, and at that time, the lawyer of the Journalists Syndicate requested a postponement of the session. The syndicate was then notified of the postponement of the investigation until last December 6th, before the syndicate announced that the prosecution had indefinitely postponed the investigation without setting a new date.
The website quoted its lawyer, Hassan al-Azhari, representing “Mada Masr,” saying that the investigation is based on an existing case opened after the Supreme Council for Media Regulation filed a complaint with the prosecution regarding “Mada Masr” publishing a report in October of last year about the possibility of Palestinians being displaced from Gaza to Egypt.
According to the source, Attallah’s interrogation was scheduled to take place before the prosecution in December, within case number 22/2023, but the session was postponed indefinitely. The prosecution did not specify the charges, although Al-Azhari said at the time that he expected the editor-in-chief to be questioned on charges of “managing a website without a license” and “publishing false news with the intention of harming national security.”
Al-Azhari said, “There is no other information, and it is not clear why the investigation has been postponed for all this time.” He continued, “We expect that if there is any new information prompting the start of the investigation, it will be clarified by the prosecution at the beginning of the session.”
The Supreme Council for Media Regulation held a hearing session with Attallah in October, after stating that it had received “numerous complaints accusing the website of publishing reports inciting harm to Egyptian national security.”
Deportation scenarios
The Council referred to “Mada Masr’s” report which presented possible scenarios for the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, including their displacement to Sinai, in the context of Israel’s ongoing aggression against the sector.
After the October session, Attallah reiterated that she and “Mada Masr” are committed to internationally recognized media ethics and strict professional standards. The editorial team reaffirmed its belief in the public’s right to know.
Al-ArjaniA previous fugitive from justice
“Mada Masr” had previously published an investigation supported by facts and figures about the businessman “Ibrahim al-Arjani,” whom it said was a former fugitive from justice and now dominates commercial activities in Sinai, including “security coordination,” the only means of exit from Gaza in the absence of official routes.
The investigation recounted Al-Arjani’s story over two decades, relying on various documents and sources, including six Palestinians who experienced the coordination process, two coordinators in Egypt, and others who worked directly in Al-Arjani’s companies and supervised aid entry, in addition to tribal sources.
Currently, “Mada Masr” is pursuing a separate lawsuit appealing the rejection by the Media Regulation Authority of its request for a license in 2018 and the failure to inform “Mada Masr” of the rejection.
