CAIRO, Egypt — An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced 12 people to death, including prominent television presenter Sarah Khalifa, after convicting them of involvement in a large-scale international drug trafficking network, according to the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper.
Khalifa, 38, a well-known host on Egyptian satellite television, was among those condemned to die by hanging. The court found the group guilty of smuggling and distributing narcotics across Egypt and neighboring countries. Egyptian authorities did not immediately release further details on the alleged network’s operations.
The mass death sentence underscores Egypt’s historically stringent approach to drug crimes. Under Egyptian law, trafficking and production of narcotics have long carried the death penalty, a policy rooted in decades of government efforts to curb smuggling across key routes in North Africa and the Sinai Peninsula.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Egypt’s use of capital punishment in drug cases, arguing that trials often lack transparency. Egypt remains one of the world’s most frequent users of the death penalty.
The verdicts can be appealed before Egypt’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest appeals court. Executions in Egypt are typically carried out by hanging after appeals are exhausted.
