TV presenter among 11 sentenced to death in Egypt drugs case

Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other individuals have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted of drugs charges.

Key points

• According to a 2025 Amnesty International report, there were 492 death sentences in the course of the year, 23 of whom were executed, external.
• During the trial, the court heard that authorities had seized more than 750kg (1, 653lbs) of narcotics and the imported raw materials to create them.
• Khalifa, 39, is best known for her TV programme Mission Impossible which dealt with crime problems.
• According to state-owned al-Akhram newspaper, they were part of a criminal gang which imported ingredients applied to produce drugs with the intent of selling them.
• Twenty witnesses had given statements to the prosecutors, al-Akhram remarked, along with electronic evidence that included conversations and video clips.

According to state-owned al-Akhram newspaper, they were part of a criminal gang which imported ingredients applied to produce drugs with the intent of selling them. They additionally had illegal firearms and munitions.

Khalifa, 39, is best known for her TV programme Mission Impossible which dealt with crime problems. She has denied the charges.

In practice, the verdict – which can be appealed against – was first confirmed last month.

Nevertheless, it was only confirmed a month afterwards after the court obtained a religious opinion from the grand mufti of Egypt – a legal requirement in death sentence cases.

When asked by the judge regarding her alleged role during a court appearance last September, Khalifa stated she had never seen any drugs until she was photographed with them inside the anti-narcotics authority offices, according to the state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper.

For context, the defendants were discovered guilty of drug trafficking and rape, "crimes that did not amount to 'intentional killing' to which the use of the death penalty must be restricted under international law and standards", the report stated.

For now, TV presenter among 11 sentenced to death in Egypt drugs case remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.