Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun, Syria’s former grand mufti under ousted President Bashar al-Assad, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Damascus for crimes committed during Syria’s nearly 14-year war.
The Fourth Criminal Court found Hassoun guilty of inciting violence, justifying killings, abusing his official position and contributing to the continuation of violence.
The judge said Hassoun and the religious institution he led had provided religious justification for military and security operations during Assad’s rule. His teachings were also found to have justified the use of barrel bombs against civilian areas, which caused widespread destruction.
Hassoun was additionally sentenced to 20 years for inciting killings and 10 years for prolonging killings. He was ordered to compensate some of his victims, while his money and properties will be confiscated by the state.
The court also ruled that he would not be eligible for any general or special amnesty because of the seriousness of his crimes.
Hassoun served as Syria’s grand mufti from 2005 to 2021. He was arrested at Damascus airport in March 2025 after emerging from hiding. His trial began on June 25.
During his time as a senior religious official, Hassoun publicly supported the Assad government and called on Syrian forces to confront opposition groups. The court said he had also called for the destruction of areas from which attacks were launched and threatened residents of Idlib with killing and displacement.
The verdict comes weeks after former President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and several senior security officials were sentenced to death in absentia over war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Hassoun’s case is considered significant because he is the first Sunni religious figure among the prominent Assad-era officials tried during Syria’s transitional justice process. While some Syrians have called for a harsher sentence, his supporters argue that his statements have been taken out of context.
The case marks another major step in Syria’s efforts to prosecute officials and figures accused of abuses during the Assad era.
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