Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other people have been sentenced to death by hanging after being found guilty of drug trafficking-related charges, the BBC reports.

According to Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram newspaper, the convicted individuals were part of a criminal group that imported raw materials used to manufacture drugs for sale.

Authorities also said that the group illegally possessed firearms and ammunition.

Sarah Khalifa, 39, is known for the television program “Mission Impossible,” which dealt with crime-related issues. She has denied the charges brought against her.

Nine other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven people were found not guilty.

Khalifa’s lawyer said that he would appeal the death sentence.

The verdict was initially announced last month but was officially confirmed only one month later, after the court received the religious opinion of Egypt’s Grand Mufti. This is a legally mandatory step in cases where the court imposes a death sentence.

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A court in Syria has sentenced ousted former President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother, Maher al-Assad, to death in absentia.

They were found guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria’s 14-year conflict, in which around half a million people lost their lives.

Atef Najib, Bashar al-Assad’s maternal cousin, was also sentenced to death in the same case. He is accused of leading the crackdown in the southern province of Daraa, which triggered the uprising and subsequently the civil war in Syria.

Under tight security, Najib heard the verdict from inside a cage while wearing a prison uniform as the judge announced the sentence.

Najib, who was arrested later, became one of the highest-ranking Assad regime officials to face trial.

Atef Najib is a former brigadier general in the Syrian army. In 2011, under Bashar al-Assad’s regime, he headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa province, in southern Syria.

Bashar al-Assad and Maher al-Assad fled to Russia after rebels marched toward Damascus in December 2014.

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