Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa faces the death sentence by hanging after a court confirmed her conviction on drug trafficking charges, with Al Jazeera reporting she was arrested in April 2025 as part of the investigation that led to the Sarah Khalifa death sentence.
Khalifa, 39, is best known for her TV programme Mission Impossible, which dealt with crime issues. She has denied all charges and her lawyer has said she will appeal.
What the court found
Khalifa was among 12 people sentenced to death by hanging. According to state-owned al-Ahram newspaper, those convicted were part of a criminal gang that imported raw ingredients used to manufacture drugs with the intent of selling them. The group also possessed illegal firearms and munitions.
Nine fellow defendants received life imprisonment. Seven others were acquitted.
During the trial, the court heard that authorities had seized more than 750kg (1,653lbs) of narcotics and the imported raw materials used to produce them. Al-Ahram reported that 20 witnesses had given statements to prosecutors, alongside electronic evidence including conversations and video clips.
When asked by the judge about her alleged role during a court appearance last September, Khalifa said she had never seen any drugs until she was photographed with them inside the anti-narcotics authority offices, according to state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper.
Grand mufti review and Sarah Khalifa death sentence confirmation
The verdict was first announced last month but was only confirmed a month later. Under Egyptian law, death sentences require a religious opinion from the grand mufti of Egypt before they can be confirmed. The court obtained that opinion before formally confirming the Sarah Khalifa death sentence and those of the other 11 defendants.
Her lawyer has stated she will appeal. The legal process following such an appeal can be lengthy in Egypt.
Separate assault conviction
Khalifa also faces a separate custodial term. Al Jazeera reported that the same court, in a distinct case heard on Saturday, sentenced her to three years in prison for assaulting and filming her driver. That case is unconnected to the drug trafficking charges.
Egypt’s use of the death penalty
The case comes against a backdrop of widespread use of capital punishment in Egypt. According to a 2025 Amnesty International report, there were 492 death sentences recorded in Egypt over the course of that year, 23 of which were carried out.
The Amnesty report noted that defendants had been found guilty of drug trafficking and rape, describing them as ‘crimes that did not amount to “intentional killing” to which the use of the death penalty must be restricted under international law and standards’.
Khalifa’s lawyer is expected to lodge a formal appeal against the death sentence.
