Key facts
- Former Grand Mufti Ahmed Hassoun sentenced to life in prison in Syria.
- Convicted of inciting civil war, sectarian hatred, and abuse of office.
- Court found his religious establishment provided cover for regime military operations.
- Hassoun denied charges; he is the 10th Assad-era figure sentenced by transitional authorities.
- Additional sentences include incitement to intentional killing and participation in killings.
A court in Damascus has sentenced Syria's former Grand Mufti, Ahmed Hassoun, to life imprisonment after convicting him of inciting civil war and sectarian hatred, and abuse of office. Hassoun, who served as the country's top Muslim cleric from 2005 to 2021, was found by the Fourth Criminal Court to have used the official religious establishment to provide cover for regime military and security operations during the 13-year conflict.
The court cited Hassoun's religious lectures and public statements, including one during the battle of Aleppo in 2015 where he called for the destruction of areas from which shells were fired. He was also accused of receiving money and gifts for intervening in detentions and providing financial support to a pro-regime militia. Hassoun denied the charges, claiming video clips were taken out of context and that he had tried to save people.
Hassoun received additional sentences of 20 years for incitement to intentional killing, 10 years for principal participation in intentional killing, and three years for abuse of office. He is the tenth figure from the ousted Assad regime to be convicted by Syria's transitional authorities. This follows the August 11 sentencing of Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, and seven other former senior regime figures to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Assad government collapsed in December 2024, ending a civil war that began in 2011, resulting in over 600,000 deaths and 12 million displaced persons. In a separate development, the United States rescinded its 47-year designation of Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.