Syria court sentences Assad-era grand mufti to life in prison
Ahmed Hassoun was convicted of crimes including inciting civil war and complicity in intentional killing.
A Syrian court has handed former top Muslim cleric Ahmed Hassoun a life sentence for crimes including inciting civil war and complicity in intentional killing. Hassoun, 77, served as grand mufti from 2005 to 2021 during the presidency of Bashar al-Assad. The court ruled the official religious establishment he led provided cover for regime military and security operations, including the use of barrel bombs.
Hassoun denied the charges. Assad, who fled to Russia after being ousted, was sentenced to death in absentia earlier this month for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trials have provided some sense of justice in Syria, but human rights groups have called for more transparency in the proceedings. The United States has also removed Syria from its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
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