After police raided the offices of the Mada Masr news website last week, editor in chief Lina Attalah has expressed her determination to persevere in the pursuit of critical journalism in Egypt. “We will continue our independent coverage of what is happening in Egypt,” she told Al-Monitor. Attalah said she has been encouraged by international statements of support for her organization and the journalistic right to freedom of expression.

Mada Masr fell into the government's crosshairs after publishing an article on Nov. 20 based on information apparently provided by sources at the General Intelligence Service (GIS). According to the sources, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had planned to send his eldest son, Mahmoud al-Sisi, a senior GIS official, to serve as Egypt's military envoy in Russia after Mahmoud failed to control the recent protests driven by economic hardship and government corruption, thus damaging his father's reputation.

Authorities raided Mada Masr's offices Nov. 24 and detained Attalah and editors Mohamed Hamama and Rana Mamdouh. The day before, police had arrested Mada Masr journalist Shadi Zalat at his home without citing a reason.

“Journalism is becoming more dangerous, and hostility to journalists is increasing,” Attallah remarked to Al-Monitor. “We were shocked, and we are still shocked, about what happened, and it is not really easy to work as a journalist in this environment.”