An Egyptian court has sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others to death by hanging after convicting them of drug trafficking charges. According to state-owned al-Ahram newspaper, the defendants were part of a criminal gang that imported raw materials used to manufacture drugs with the intent to sell them, and also possessed illegal firearms and munitions.
Khalifa, 39, is best known for hosting the television programme Mission Impossible, which dealt with crime issues. She has denied the charges. Her lawyer said she would appeal the death sentence. The verdict was announced last month and confirmed a month later after the court obtained a religious opinion from Egypt's grand mufti, a legal requirement in capital cases.
Nine other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven were acquitted. During the trial, the court heard that authorities had seized more than 750 kilograms of narcotics and imported materials to produce them. Twenty witnesses gave statements to prosecutors, al-Ahram reported, along with electronic evidence including conversations and video clips.
According to the state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper, when questioned by the judge during a court appearance in September, Khalifa said she had never seen any drugs until she was photographed with them inside the anti-narcotics authority offices.
According to a 2025 Amnesty International report, Egypt issued 492 death sentences in the year, with 23 carried out. The report said the defendants were convicted of crimes that "did not amount to 'intentional killing' to which the use of the death penalty must be restricted under international law and standards."
