Egyptian authorities reportedly arrested all six editors of the investigative platform Matsaddash and ordered the independent news site Mada Masr to close within a month. Mada Masr editor-in-chief Lina Attalah was briefly detained and fined about €50,000. She was also told that a two-year-old case, in which she had been sentenced to one year in prison over operating a licensed website and publishing false news, was being revived.

Journalists and media outlets face accusations including spreading false news, operating without a licence and belonging to a terrorist organisation. More than 100 news websites have reportedly been blocked since 2017, while outlets including Mada Masr have remained in legal uncertainty after unanswered licence applications. Mada Masr appealed the closure order on 25 November, but editor Mohamed Hamama said the outlet still had no guarantee of being able to continue operating.