Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, Syria’s former Grand Mufti and a prominent supporter of ex-President Bashar al-Assad, is set to receive a verdict in Damascus on Monday in a major transitional justice case.
Prosecutors have requested the death penalty for Hassoun, who has been on trial since June 25 before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus.
Hassoun, born in Aleppo in 1949, served as Syria’s Grand Mufti from 2005 until 2021. During the Syrian uprising that began in 2011, he strongly supported Assad’s government and accused foreign powers of backing what he described as terrorism.
Critics later nicknamed him the “barrel-bomb mufti” because of his strong support for the Assad regime and his controversial statements against its opponents.
He was arrested at Damascus International Airport in March 2025 after emerging from hiding following the fall of Assad’s government in December 2024.
Hassoun faces several charges, including inciting violence and providing religious and political legitimacy to the Assad government, allied militias and foreign forces. Prosecutors also accuse him of encouraging violence against civilians and opposition-held areas and supporting Iranian and Russian military intervention in Syria.
One of the most serious allegations concerns his reported involvement in executions at Sednaya prison. Amnesty International has said Hassoun was allegedly authorized by Assad to approve prisoner executions, with reports linking him to the deaths of thousands of inmates.
The case comes as Syria’s transitional authorities pursue legal action against senior figures associated with the former Assad government. Several members and associates of the Assad family have recently received death sentences in connection with alleged war crimes.
The upcoming verdict will determine whether Hassoun receives a similar punishment or another sentence.
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