Syrian court hands life sentence to Assad-era grand mufti

A Damascus court on Monday sentenced Syria's former grand mufti, Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun, to life in prison, marking the latest conviction of a senior official from the ousted government of Bashar Assad.

Hassoun, a vocal loyalist to Assad who served as the country's top Islamic cleric from 2005 until the post was abolished in 2021, was found guilty of inciting violence and justifying murder.

Presiding Judge Fakhreddine al-Aryan of the Fourth Criminal Court said the religious establishment under Assad's rule had "justified the use of barrel bombs that targeted civilian areas and caused widespread destruction," which he described as a violation of international humanitarian law.

Hassoun was in custody and appeared in court, unlike several other senior Assad-era figures—including Assad himself and his brother Maher—who have been sentenced to death in absentia in recent weeks.

Human rights groups have voiced concerns that the trials are being rushed and may not meet fair-trial standards. However, many Syrians have welcomed the verdicts, reflecting frustration that the new authorities were not acting quickly or firmly enough against former officials.

The convictions stem from the brutal crackdown on 2011 protests, which escalated into a nearly 14-year civil war that killed roughly half a million people and displaced more than half of Syria's prewar population of 23 million. The conflict ended in December 2024 when Islamist-led insurgents toppled Assad in a lightning offensive.