Cairo: Egypt has sentenced television presenter Sara Khalifa and 11 other people to death after finding them guilty in a drug-related case involving an alleged criminal gang, imported drug-making materials, illegal weapons and ammunition.
The death sentences were first issued last month and were formally confirmed a month later after the court sought a religious opinion from Egypt’s Grand Mufti. Seeking the opinion is part of the legal procedure followed in death penalty cases in Egypt. His opinion is not binding on the court. The death sentence does not end the defendants’ legal options. The court had also sought the Grand Mufti’s opinion before issuing the final ruling. This consultation is required in Egyptian death penalty cases, although the judge is not required to follow the religious opinion.
Khalifa and the other convicts can challenge the verdict before the Court of Cassation, Egypt’s highest court for criminal appeals.
Amnesty International’s 2025 report said courts in the country sentenced 492 people to death that year, while 23 people were executed.
International law and human rights standards say the death penalty should be restricted to the most serious crimes, generally understood as cases involving “intentional killing”. The case is part of Egypt’s continued use of capital punishment.
