A Syrian court on Monday handed a life sentence to Ahmed Hassoun, the country’s former grand mufti under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, convicting him of crimes including inciting sectarian strife and exploiting his position.
Hassoun, the 10th Assad-era figure to be sentenced under the new authorities, was Syria’s top Muslim cleric for 16 years.
He was known for his close ties to the former president and frequent appearances alongside him on religious occasions.
Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said Hassoun, 77, was guilty of a raft of charges including “inciting civil war and sectarian strife”, for which he was jailed for life.
The cleric was also convicted of “incitement to intentional homicide”, “principal complicity in intentional homicide”, and “inciting sectarian and racial strife”, for which he was handed additional terms ranging from three to 20 years.
The court also decided to confiscate Hassoun’s assets and hand them to the public treasury.
His sentencing is the first against a religious figure since Syrian authorities began trying Assad-era officials in April.
On August 11, Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and five other security officials to death in absentia for atrocities committed during Syria’s civil war, the first such ruling under the new authorities.
The former president fled Syria as his government fell in December 2024 and is believed to be in Russia.
Authorities have also handed death sentences to Atif Najib and Wassim al-Assad, cousins of the former ruler who were tried in person.
Hassoun, a native of Aleppo whose late father was also an important religious figure, was arrested at Damascus airport in March last year as he tried to flee the country.
Though he held the post of grand mufti for more than a decade, Hassoun lost the title in 2021 when Syria abolished the position.
The United Nations and human rights organisations have voiced opposition to the death sentences handed to Assad-era officials.
Human Rights Watch on Sunday said the sentences “raise important legal issues the government should urgently address”.
“Advancing justice for the litany of serious crimes committed in Syria requires more than just convictions, but building a system that can deliver competent, impartial, and independent justice,” said Balkees Jarrah, the group’s Middle East and North Africa director.
Syria began legal proceedings in April against Bashar al-Assad and other officials accused of atrocities during the civil war, which erupted in 2011 with brutal repression of pro-democracy protesters.
More than half a million people were killed and millions displaced during the conflict, while tens of thousands disappeared.
