In brief
Sarah Khalifa, a well‑known host of the crime‑focused programme *Mission Impossible*, and 11 co‑defendants were sentenced to death by hanging in Cairo on charges of drug trafficking and gun possession. Court officials confirmed the verdict after receiving a religious opinion from Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a statutory requirement for capital cases. Authorities seized more than 750 kg of narcotics and various drug‑production ingredients during the raid, and the indictment included accusations of rape. Amnesty International flagged the case in its 2025 report on the year’s death sentences, noting that the charges did not meet international criteria for intentional killing, prompting calls for humane reforms.
Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted of drug charges.
Authorities say the defendants belonged to a criminal gang that imported raw materials to manufacture illegal drugs and intended to sell them, while also possessing firearms and munitions.
Sarah Khalifa, 39, is best known for her crime‑focused programme Mission Impossible and has denied all allegations.
The verdict can be appealed, but it was only confirmed a month later after the court obtained a religious opinion from the Grand Mufti, a legal requirement in death‐sentence cases.
During the trial, the court heard that authorities seized more than 750 kg of narcotics and raw materials used to produce them. Twenty witnesses gave statements to the prosecutors, and electronic evidence, including conversations and video clips, was also presented.
Akhbar al‑Youm reported that Khalifa claimed she had never seen drugs until she was photographed with them inside an anti‑narcotics office during a court appearance last September.
According to Amnesty International, 492 death sentences were issued in the past year, 23 of whom were executed. The report noted that the defendants were found guilty of drug trafficking and rape – crimes that do not meet the “intentional killing” criteria, which international law requires for the use of the death penalty.
