A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced Ahmad Hassoun, the former Grand Mufti of Syria, to life imprisonment [1].
The verdict marks a significant step in the new Syrian authorities' efforts to establish accountability for officials who served under Bashar al-Assad. By targeting the top cleric of the previous regime, the judiciary is addressing the role of religious authority in sustaining the former government's power.
Hassoun served as the highest religious authority under the Assad administration. The court found him guilty of crimes including the abuse of his official position, and inciting sectarian conflict [1]. While the prosecution had previously sought the death penalty for the former mufti [3], the court ultimately imposed a sentence of life imprisonment [1].
This case is the 10th major trial of an Assad-era official to reach a verdict under the current judicial system [1]. The new authorities are pursuing a series of prosecutions focused on alleged war crimes, and the systemic incitement of violence against civilian populations [2, 4].
The proceedings took place in Damascus, where the new judicial system is attempting to dismantle the legal structures of the previous regime. The trial of Hassoun highlights the focus on those who provided ideological and spiritual justification for the former government's actions—a key component of the broader transition in Syrian governance.
Legal observers said that these trials are part of a larger strategy to address the legacy of the Assad era through domestic criminal courts. The focus remains on high-ranking figures who wielded significant influence over the state's security and social apparatus [2].
“Ahmad Hassoun is the 10th high-level official from the Assad regime to be sentenced.”
The sentencing of Ahmad Hassoun signals that the new Syrian government intends to prosecute not only military and intelligence leaders but also the religious establishment that legitimized the Assad regime. By focusing on sectarian incitement, the judiciary is attempting to legally document the mechanisms used to divide the population during the conflict, which is a prerequisite for long-term national reconciliation.
