Syrian Court Sentences Former Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun to Life in Prison

A Syrian court on Monday handed a life sentence to Ahmad Hassoun, the country's former grand mufti under ex-President Bashar Assad.

The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus found Hassoun guilty of multiple crimes, including inciting sectarian unrest, justifying murder, inciting violence, prolonging killings, and abusing his office. Hassoun served as Syria's top Islamic cleric for 16 years, from 2005 until 2021, and vocally supported the Assad regime's policies. He is the 10th Assad-era official to be sentenced under Syria's new authorities.

The court imposed several prison sentences for various charges, including 20 years for inciting killings and 10 years for prolonging killings. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan stated that Hassoun and the official religious institution he led provided religious cover for military and security operations during al-Assad’s rule. His teachings justified the use of barrel bombs that targeted civilian areas, which constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law.

Hassoun was arrested at Damascus airport in March 2025, after emerging from hiding a month earlier, and his trial began on June 25. Bashar Assad has resided in Russia since the fall of his regime in late 2024. A judicial agreement signed by Syria and Russia on June 29, 2022, and ratified by Assad that year, provides a legal avenue for seeking his extradition, though the death sentence itself could give Moscow grounds to refuse.