Former Syrian grand mufti Ahmed Badr Al-Din Hassoun sentenced to life
A Syrian court has sentenced former grand mufti Ahmed Badr Al-Din Hassoun to life in prison for war crimes and sectarian incitement.
Former Mufti of Syria Ahmad Badr Al Din Hassoun has been sentenced to life in prison on charges of incitement to violence, justifying killing, and abuse of office, according to Syria's state news agency Sana. The court confiscated his moveable assets. Hassoun, in his 70s, faced the charges in the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus in June.
He was accused of encouraging regime members to crack down on protesters and supporting Russia and Iran's involvement in the Syrian civil war. He was also charged with publicly supporting war crime officers, including former Iranian Quds Force head Qassem Soleimani. Hassoun appeared in court multiple times, with his testimony and evidence presented and verified.
Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty but the sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. The new Syrian government has been trying Assad-era officials, with most receiving death sentences. Notably, former warlord Waseem Al Assad received the death penalty for murder and torture during the civil war.
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Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Former Mufti of Syria sentenced to life in prison thenationalnews.com
- ‘Barrel bomb mufti’ Ahmad Hassoun handed life sentence in Syria trial aljazeera.com
