Seven Pakistanis have been condemned to death by an Egyptian court for bringing in over two tonnes of heroin by sea.
According to reports in the international press, a court in the Arab world’s most populous country condemned to death seven Pakistanis, two Egyptians, and one Iranian national. Within two months, the ruling can be appealed.
The decision came after police recovered narcotics worth approximately 2.5 billion pounds that were smuggled in through the Red Sea in 2019.
According to reports, all suspects were discovered with narcotics in concealed storage of the vessel, including almost 100 kilogrammes (220 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine [a strong central nervous system stimulant].
While capital punishment is a legal consequence in the country, at least 44 executions were carried out in 2016, 35 in 2017, and 43 in 2018.
Human rights organizations have criticized Egypt’s “significant spike” in documented executions, which has increased by more than thrice.
According to figures cited by Amnesty International, Egypt is now ranked third in terms of executions, after China and Iran.
