Egypt TV Host Sarah Khalifa Sentenced To Death By Hanging

Egypt’s court has sentenced TV presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other people to death by hanging after convicting them on drug charges, according to state media.

Death Sentence For Khalifa And 11 Others

State-owned al-Ahram reported that Khalifa, 39, and the other defendants were found guilty of belonging to a criminal gang that imported materials used to make drugs with the aim of selling them. The paper said the group also had illegal firearms and munitions.

Khalifa is known for her television programme Mission Impossible, which has focused on crime-related issues. She denied the charges, and her lawyer said she would appeal against the death sentence.

Other Verdicts And Court Process

Alongside the 11 death sentences, nine other defendants were given life imprisonment, while seven were acquitted.

The verdict was first announced last month, but was confirmed a month later after the court obtained a religious opinion from Egypt’s grand mufti. Obtaining that opinion is described as a legal requirement for death sentences.

During the trial, the court heard that authorities seized more than 750kg of narcotics and the imported raw materials used to manufacture them, al-Ahram said. The paper added that 20 witnesses submitted statements to prosecutors, alongside electronic evidence including recorded conversations and video clips.

Claim She Had Not Seen Drugs

Akhar al-Youm, another state-run newspaper, reported that Khalifa told the court she had never seen any drugs before being photographed with them during a court appearance in September. It said she made the comment after claiming the photograph was taken inside the premises of Egypt’s anti-narcotics authority.

The newspapers did not indicate that the court accepted those claims, but they described the case as involving charges that included drug trafficking and rape.

Amnesty Raises Rights Concerns

A 2025 Amnesty International report cited by the article said there were 492 death sentences issued during the year, with 23 carried out. It added that the defendants were convicted of drug trafficking and rape, describing those as “crimes that did not amount to 'intentional killing'” and therefore did not meet international legal standards that require restricting the death penalty to the most serious offences.

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6 September 2026