CAIRO, Egypt — Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other defendants have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted in a major drug trafficking case involving narcotics, drug-manufacturing materials and illegal firearms.
According to Egypt’s state-owned Al-Ahram, the defendants were found guilty of belonging to a criminal organisation that imported raw materials used to manufacture narcotics with the intention of distributing them for sale. The court also heard evidence concerning illegal firearms and ammunition allegedly connected to the group.
Khalifa, 39, is a television presenter best known for Mission Impossible, a programme that focused on crime-related issues. She has denied the charges against her. Her lawyer has said that the death sentence will be appealed. Nine other defendants in the case were sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven were acquitted.
The verdict was initially announced in August but was formally confirmed after the court obtained the opinion of Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a procedural requirement in Egyptian death-penalty cases. The religious opinion is advisory rather than a judicial determination, with the court retaining authority over the final verdict. During the proceedings, prosecutors presented evidence relating to the alleged trafficking operation, including the seizure of more than 750 kilograms of narcotics and quantities of imported materials allegedly intended for the manufacture of drugs.
Al-Ahram reported that prosecutors also relied on statements from 20 witnesses as well as electronic evidence, including recorded conversations and video material. According to Egypt’s state-run Akhbar El Yom, Khalifa told the court during an earlier hearing that she had never seen drugs before being photographed with them inside the premises of the anti-narcotics authorities. The presenter has maintained her denial of the allegations throughout the case.
The death sentences do not necessarily represent the end of the legal process, Khalifa’s lawyer has indicated that the defence will appeal the ruling, opening another stage in the judicial proceedings. The case has attracted particular public attention because of Khalifa’s profile as a television personality and the contrast between her professional association with crime reporting and the serious criminal allegations against her. Her conviction, however, remains subject to the available appeal processes.
The case has also renewed attention to Egypt’s use of capital punishment and the wider international debate surrounding the death penalty. According to Amnesty International’s 2025 global death-penalty report, Egypt recorded 492 death sentences during 2025, of which 23 executions were carried out, placing the country among those that continue to make significant use of capital punishment.
Amnesty has raised concerns about the application of the death penalty in cases involving crimes that, under international human-rights standards, do not involve intentional killing. The organisation has argued that international law restricts the death penalty, where it is retained, to the “most serious crimes”, generally understood to mean crimes involving intentional killing. The Egyptian authorities and courts, however, operate within Egypt’s domestic legal framework, under which capital punishment remains available for certain serious offences, including specified drug-related crimes.
The Khalifa case highlights several issues that extend beyond the identity of the defendants, It brings together the continuing international challenge of drug trafficking, the use of capital punishment, judicial procedure and the rights of defendants facing the most severe criminal penalties. For Egypt, combating organised drug trafficking remains a significant law-enforcement concern, particularly where authorities allege that criminal networks are involved in importing both finished narcotics and materials used to manufacture drugs.
For international human-rights organisations, cases involving death sentences continue to raise questions about due process, proportionality and the circumstances in which capital punishment should be permitted. The appeal process will therefore be closely watched as the defendants seek further judicial review of the convictions and sentences. For now, the court’s ruling marks a significant development in a case that has drawn considerable attention because of the scale of the alleged trafficking operation and the public profile of one of those convicted. Daily Thinkers will continue to follow developments in the case as the appeal process unfolds.
