‘Barrel bomb mufti’ Ahmad Hassoun handed life sentence in Syria trial

Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, a top Muslim religious official during ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, has been sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed during Syria’s nearly 14-year war. The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus Damascus issued the ruling on Monday, finding Hassoun guilty of a range of crimes, including inciting violence and providing religious and political legitimacy for the al-Assad regime. Hassoun, who was Syria’s grand mufti between 2005 and 2021, was detained at Damascus airport in March 2025, after he emerged from hiding a month earlier. His trial began on June 25. Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett reports live from Damascus. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #Syria #SyriaWar #AhmadHassoun #BasharAlAssad #Damascus #SyrianCivilWar #SyriaTrial #SyrianWar #AssadRegime #SyriaNews #SyrianPolitics #SyriaJustice #MiddleEast #AlJazeeraEnglish