Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa sentenced to death in drug case

What the report says

France24 Africa reports that an Egyptian court has sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa, 39, to death in a major drug-trafficking case, alongside 11 other defendants. State-linked media said the ruling covered charges of forming an organised criminal group to obtain materials used to make narcotics, manufacturing synthetic drugs for trafficking, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

According to the report, Khalifa is best known for hosting “Mission Impossible,” a program focused on security and crime. The case was heard in Cairo, and the court sought the opinion of Egypt’s Grand Mufti, a step required under Egyptian law in capital cases. The verdict can still be appealed. The article also says a separate court decision sentenced Khalifa and others to five years in prison over an additional kidnapping and assault case involving a young man.

France24 Africa says authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of narcotics and raw materials, and identified two apartments allegedly used as laboratories. The report adds that Khalifa also runs a plastic surgery clinic and a production company. More broadly, Egypt applies capital punishment in some serious cases, including drug trafficking. Human rights groups have long criticized the country’s use of the death penalty, though that broader concern is separate from the specific court decision described in this report.