A Syrian court sentenced former grand mufti Ahmad Hassoun to life imprisonment on Monday for war crimes committed during the country's civil war [1], [2].

The verdict marks a significant legal step in addressing the role of religious authority in legitimizing state violence during the conflict. Hassoun, who served as the highest religious authority under the regime of Bashar al-Assad, has long been a polarizing figure due to his public support for military operations against opposition forces.

The Fourth Criminal Court of Damascus delivered the ruling on Aug. 24, 2026 [2]. The court found Hassoun guilty of inciting sectarian strife and inciting violence [1], [3]. Judges ruled that he abused his religious position to provide legitimacy to the Assad regime during a conflict that has lasted nearly 14 years [1], [4].

Known by critics as the "barrel bomb mufti," Hassoun's convictions center on his use of religious rhetoric to justify the use of indiscriminate weapons, and the suppression of dissent. The court determined that his actions contributed to the escalation of sectarian tensions across the country [3], [5].

Legal proceedings against Hassoun follow years of accusations that the mufti used his platform to frame the civil war as a religious struggle rather than a political one. By framing the regime's actions as a necessity for stability, he provided the theological cover for military campaigns in residential areas [4], [5].

The life sentence is the culmination of a trial focusing on the intersection of faith and war crimes. While the regime previously relied on Hassoun to maintain a veneer of religious sanction, the current judicial action signals a shift in the state's internal legal accounting of the war's leadership [2], [3].

“The court found Hassoun guilty of inciting sectarian strife and inciting violence.”

The sentencing of Ahmad Hassoun represents a rare instance of a high-ranking religious official being held legally accountable for inciting violence within Syria. By convicting the man who provided the theological justification for the Assad regime's military tactics, the Damascus court acknowledges that religious legitimacy was weaponized as a tool of war. This case sets a precedent for how the Syrian judiciary handles the legacy of those who utilized spiritual authority to facilitate war crimes.