TV presenter among 12 sentenced to death in Egypt drugs case

Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa, 39, known for her crime‑focused programme “Mission Impossible,” was sentenced to death by hanging alongside eleven co‑defendants after a court found them guilty of importing raw materials used to manufacture narcotics with the intent to sell. The verdict, reported by the state‑owned al‑Ahram newspaper, placed Khalifa among a group where nine others received life imprisonment and seven were acquitted. The death sentences were only finalized after the court secured a religious ruling from Egypt’s grand mufti, a procedural requirement for capital punishment cases.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that authorities had seized more than 750 kg (1,653 lb) of narcotics and the precursor chemicals, supported by statements from twenty witnesses and electronic material such as recorded conversations and video clips. Khalifa denied any involvement, telling the judge that she had never seen drugs and that the only photographs showing her with narcotics were taken inside anti‑narcotics authority offices. The case unfolded against a broader backdrop of Egypt’s harsh drug‑related sentencing, with a 2025 Amnesty International report noting 492 death sentences that year, of which 23 were carried out, and highlighting concerns that the convictions—including charges of drug trafficking and rape—did not meet the international legal standard that reserves the death penalty for intentional killing.

The sentencing underscores ongoing tensions between Egypt’s domestic legal practices and international human‑rights norms. Amnesty International criticized the verdicts, arguing that the crimes for which the defendants were punished do not satisfy the narrow criteria for capital punishment under international law. The outcome may prompt further scrutiny of Egypt’s use of the death penalty in drug cases and could influence future legal reforms or diplomatic pressure from rights‑focused organizations.

⚡ Effects Interpreter