TV presenter among 12 sentenced to death in Egypt drugs case

Television presenter Sarah Khalifa is among 12 people sentenced to death by hanging in an Egyptian drugs case. According to state media, the group was part of a criminal enterprise that imported substances to manufacture illicit drugs with the intent of selling them. They were also found in possession of illegal firearms and munitions.

Khalifa, 39, is famous for her crime-focused TV show, Mission Impossible. She has vehemently denied the charges against her. Nine of the other defendants received life sentences, while seven were acquitted. Khalifa's legal team plans to appeal her death sentence.

The verdict on the death penalty was first announced last month but was confirmed a month later after the court received a religious opinion from Egypt's grand mufti, a legal requirement for death sentences. During the trial, authorities reportedly seized over 750kg of narcotics and raw materials to make them.

The prosecution presented testimonies from twenty witnesses and electronic evidence, including conversations and video clips. Khalifa faced a question about her alleged involvement during a September court appearance, to which she responded that she had never seen drugs until being photographed with them inside an anti-narcotics authority office.

Amnesty International's 2025 report indicates there were 492 death sentences that year, 23 of which were carried out. The defendants were convicted of drug trafficking and rape, crimes that international law and standards deem restricted to cases of "intentional killing" for the use of the death penalty.