The Editor-in-Chief of Mada Masr, an independent media outlet in Egypt, and three fellow journalists have been charged over a critical report on the Nation’s Future Party (Mostaqbal Watan).

Mada Masr reported that prosecutors summoned Lina Attallah, Rana Mamdouh, Sara Seif Eddin and Beesan Kassab for questioning on Wednesday 7, to face charges of slander and defamation of Nation's Future members, using social media to harass party members, and publishing false news intended to disturb the public peace.

The article in question was published on August 31 as part of Mada Masr’s Wednesday edition, and remains live on their website. It delineates an inquiry implicating senior officials of Nation’s Future in "grave financial violations", saying that this was expected to "lead to their departure from the political scene".

Nation's Future, which dominates parliament and strongly backs President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, denied the story "in its entirety" and accused Mada Masr of using "dubious and unprofessional tactics to destabilise the country's security".

Mada Masr, which has been trying to obtain a licence since 2018 when a new law regulating the media came into force, is furthermore accused of operating without a news licence. The outlet stated on Saturday that it was confident "in the integrity of our legal position and our commitment to the highest professional publishing standards". 

"We also express our regret that the majority political party in Egypt, known to be proximate to power, is using such tactics to intimidate a press outlet that is operating on behalf of public interest," it added. 

The four journalists were released on bail on September 7 following interrogation at the Cairo Appeals Prosecution.