Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others have been sentenced to death by hanging in a drug trafficking case.
According to the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper, the court found them members of a criminal group that imported ingredients for drug production for further sale.
According to the indictment, the members of the group also illegally possessed firearms and ammunition.
Khalifa, 39, is known as the host of the crime show "Mission Impossible." She has denied the charges. Her lawyer said the defense intends to appeal the death sentence.
Nine other defendants were sentenced to life in prison, while seven were acquitted.
The verdict was handed down last month, but was only confirmed after the court received a ruling from Egypt’s grand mufti, a mandatory procedure in cases involving the death penalty.
During the investigation and trial, authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of drugs and raw materials for their production. According to Al-Ahram, the prosecution also relied on the testimony of 20 witnesses and electronic evidence, including correspondence and video recordings.
According to the state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper, Khalifa told the judge in a court hearing last September that he had never seen drugs before and that he first saw them when he was photographed with them at the Narcotics Control Department building.
According to Amnesty International, 492 death sentences were passed in Egypt in 2025, and 23 people were executed.
Human rights activists noted that among those convicted were people convicted of drug trafficking and rape - crimes that, according to international standards, do not fall into the category of "premeditated murder," for which the death penalty can be applied, BBC News writes.
