Overview
- The Cairo Criminal Court formally confirmed death sentences for Sarah Khalifa and 11 co-defendants on Saturday, while nine defendants received life terms and seven were acquitted in the 28-person trial.
- Prosecutors said the group ran a large synthetic drug operation that imported raw materials, used two residential flats as labs and yielded seizures of more than 750 kilograms of narcotics along with unlicensed firearms.
- Khalifa, a 39-year-old presenter known for the show Mission Impossible, has publicly denied the charges in court and on social media and her lawyer said an appeal will be filed.
- Egyptian law requires courts to seek the Grand Mufti's advisory opinion in death-penalty cases, and the sentences can be challenged through retrial requests and appeals to the Court of Cassation before any final step is taken.
- Rights groups and recent figures show Egypt issues high numbers of death sentences for drug and other offences, raising international concern about the use of capital punishment and the case’s possible effects on legal and human rights scrutiny.