The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian state mufti Ahmed Hassoun to life imprisonment [1].
The ruling marks a significant legal step in addressing the actions of high-ranking religious officials who provided legitimacy to the former regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Hassoun was convicted of crimes against humanity and war crimes [1]. The court also found him guilty of the incitement of sectarian strife, and the abuse of his official position during the former administration [2], [3].
In addition to the prison term, the court ordered that Hassoun's movable assets be confiscated [1]. The sentencing includes a strict prohibition against benefiting from any form of amnesty or conditional release [4].
The proceedings focused on Hassoun's role as the state's primary religious authority. The court determined that his influence was used to justify violence and deepen divisions among the population, actions that contributed to the broader scale of atrocities committed during the conflict.
Legal documents indicate that the convictions stem from Hassoun's use of his religious platform to support state-led operations that resulted in widespread human rights violations [3], [4]. The court's decision to bar amnesty underscores the severity of the charges and the perceived gravity of the crimes against humanity involved [4].
Hassoun previously served as the state mufti, the highest religious authority in Syria, where he frequently issued fatwas and public statements aligning with the security apparatus of the former regime [2].
“Sentenced to life imprisonment”
This sentencing signals a shift toward judicial accountability for the intellectual and religious architects of the former regime's policies. By targeting a figure who provided the theological justification for state violence, the Syrian court is addressing not only the physical perpetrators of war crimes but also those who used institutional authority to facilitate sectarian division and human rights abuses.
