Ahmad Hassoun sentenced to life in prison by Syrian court

A Syrian court in Damascus has sentenced Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, the former grand mufti under Bashar al-Assad, to life imprisonment. Hassoun, who held the position for sixteen years from 2005 to 2021, was convicted of crimes including incitement to sectarian strife, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and providing financial support to militias during the Syrian war.

Judge Fakhreddine al-Aryan stated that the official religious establishment under the former regime was used to provide religious justification for military operations, including the use of explosive barrels targeting civilian areas. This use of religious authority to justify such actions was cited as a violation of international humanitarian law.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered the seizure and confiscation of Hassoun’s movable and immovable assets for the state treasury. He has also been barred from benefiting from any general or special amnesty. Hassoun was arrested in March 2024 at Damascus airport while attempting to leave the country. He is the tenth official from the Assad era to be convicted by the new authorities.