Former Syrian Mufti Ahmad Badr Al Din Hassoun Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

Ahmad Badr Al Din Hassoun, Syria's highest Islamic official under the deposed Assad regime, has been sentenced to life in prison following a trial on charges including incitement to violence, justification of killing, and abuse of office, according to state news agency Sana. The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, which began hearing the case in June, also ordered the confiscation of his moveable assets.

During the proceedings, prosecutors had demanded the death penalty for the former mufti, who is in his 70s. Hassoun faced accusations of using his religious authority to encourage members of the former regime to crack down on anti-government protesters and supporting the military interventions of Russia and Iran in the Syria civil war. Additional charges included publicly backing officers linked to war crimes, such as former Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.

Hassoun appeared at multiple court hearings in July and August, where the court reviewed video evidence, heard witness statements, and took his testimony. Witnesses testified about extortion involving threats and financial demands in exchange for the former mufti's intervention.

The new Syrian government, led by President Ahmad Al Shara, continues to prosecute former Assad-era officials. Recently, former warlord Waseem Al Assad and other members of the Assad family, including Bashar Al Assad, Maher Al Assad, and Atif Najib, received death sentences for crimes committed during the 2011-2024 war. Meanwhile, regional authorities like Lebanon recently handed over former Assad-era general Adel Issa to face charges of torture and murder.