Facing a potential prison sentence and the court-ordered closure of the news site she co-founded, the editor-in-chief of one of Egypt’s last independent media outlets said silencing journalists is not the answer and will only allow disinformation to flourish.

“We are not the problem. I think our disappearance is a problem,” Lina Attalah told The Associated Press in an interview Monday, as the 13-year-old site Mada Masr fights the decision to shut it down.

Its closure would mean “butchering what’s left of a space that’s keeping this country sane and healthy, and a societal need for information that cannot just be ignored.”

Mada Masr has been a unique voice in Egypt, investigating allegations of corruption and human rights violations, providing deep coverage on economics and politics, and hosting cultural discussions.…