Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death by hanging along with 11 other people after being convicted in a major drug case in Egypt.
According to Egypt’s state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, the defendants were found guilty of being part of a criminal gang that imported materials used to manufacture illegal drugs with the intention of selling them. The group was also accused of possessing illegal firearms and ammunition.
Khalifa, 39, is a well-known television presenter in Egypt and is best known for her programme Mission Impossible, which focused on crime-related cases. She has denied the charges against her and maintained her innocence.
Her lawyer has said that she will appeal the death sentence.
Nine other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven people were acquitted in the case.
The verdict was initially announced last month but was formally confirmed after the court received a religious opinion from Egypt’s Grand Mufti. Under Egyptian law, courts are required to refer death sentences to the Grand Mufti before they can be formally confirmed. The opinion is not itself a final ruling, but it is part of the legal process for death penalty cases.
The case has attracted significant attention because of Khalifa’s public profile and the seriousness of the allegations. Her career in television, particularly her work on a programme dealing with crime, has also brought additional public interest to the proceedings.
Khalifa’s appeal will now provide an opportunity for a higher court to review the conviction and sentence. In Egypt, death sentences can go through several stages of legal review before any execution takes place.
The case remains subject to the appeals process, meaning the latest sentence does not necessarily represent the final outcome for Khalifa.
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