Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah detained after court orders news site's closure
Amnesty International said the verdict against Attalah and independent outlet Mada Masr represented "a crushing blow to press freedom".
Amnesty International called the verdict against Lina Attalah 'a crushing blow to press freedom' (file photo)
The editor-in-chief of the independent Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr has been taken into custody after a court convicted her of managing an unlicensed website and ordered its closure, her lawyers say.
Lina Attalah will be held until she pays the fine of 3m Egyptian pounds ($53,500; £40,100) also handed down by the New Cairo Misdemeanours Court. It was the maximum possible penalty for the charge, which she had rejected.
Last week, prosecutors summoned her for questioning over allegations of publishing "false news" and operating a website without a licence.