Damascus sentences Al-Assad-era grand mufti to life for inciting war
Shafaq News- Damascus
A Damascus criminal court sentenced Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun, who served as Syria's grand mufti under the government of former President Bashar al-Assad, to life in prison on Monday after convicting him of acts intended to incite civil war and sectarian fighting.
The Fourth Criminal Court also barred Hassoun from benefiting from any general or special amnesty, citing the gravity of the crimes.
Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said the evidence pointed to the use of the official religious establishment, led by the Dar al-Ifta’a, the state body responsible for issuing religious edicts, to provide religious cover for military and security operations under the former government and to justify them to the public.
Al-Aryan said the religious establishment "had provided justification" for the use of barrel bombs that struck civilian areas and caused widespread destruction, adding that Hassoun had provided regular financial support to the leadership and members of the Quds Brigade (Liwa’a al-Quds), a pro-government militia that took part in military operations, and that investigations had established his involvement in crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Hassoun was arrested at Damascus airport in March 2025 while attempting to leave the country, according to Syria's new authorities.
The sentencing is the latest in a string of cases brought by the same court against figures tied to the former government. The Fourth Criminal Court sentenced Wasim al-Assad, a cousin of the ousted president, to death after convicting him of murder and torture amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and ordered the confiscation of his assets.
Wasim al-Assad, arrested in June 2025 on drug-trafficking allegations, was also accused of forming irregular armed groups and taking part in operations against civilian areas in Eastern Ghouta.
On August 11, the same court sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, former security official Atef Najib, and other former officials to death for murder, torture, unlawful detention, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Bashar and Maher al-Assad were tried in absentia.
