A drug-trafficking conviction has placed the television personality among 12 defendants sentenced to death by hanging.
CAIRO, EGYPT
Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death after a Cairo criminal court convicted her and 11 other defendants of participating in an organised network that manufactured and trafficked synthetic drugs. The judgment is not yet final and remains subject to appeal.
Prosecutors alleged that the organisation imported raw materials, produced narcotics in two residential apartments and distributed them for sale. Authorities reported seizing more than 750 kilograms of drugs and production materials, together with unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The prosecution presented witness testimony, photographs and recordings during the proceedings.
Khalifa, 39, is known for presenting the crime-focused programme Mission Impossible and for operating a cosmetic clinic and an events company. Prosecutors accused her of financing parts of the operation and coordinating with alleged leaders abroad. She has denied the accusations and maintained her innocence throughout the case.
Before imposing a capital sentence, the court referred the case to Egypt’s Grand Mufti, as required under Egyptian law. The Mufti’s opinion is consultative rather than legally binding. Nine additional defendants received life sentences, while seven were acquitted. Khalifa and several co-defendants also received five-year prison terms in a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man.
Egypt permits capital punishment for offences including premeditated murder, terrorism and serious drug trafficking. Human-rights organisations have repeatedly criticised the country’s extensive use of death sentences and raised concerns about due process. Khalifa’s legal team can challenge the conviction, meaning execution is not immediate and will depend on the outcome of further judicial review.
Justice cannot be measured only by severity; it must also be measured by fairness.