‘Barrel bomb mufti’ Ahmad Hassoun handed life sentence in Syria trial | Syria’s War News

Decide Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan sentenced Hassoun to life in jail for crimes together with incitement to hatred and violence.

Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, a prime Muslim non secular official beneath ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been sentenced to life in jail for crimes dedicated in the course of the nation’s practically 14-year civil conflict.

The Fourth Felony Courtroom in Damascus issued the ruling on Monday, discovering Hassoun responsible of a variety of crimes, together with inciting violence, justifying killings and the abuse of his workplace.

Hassoun, who was Syria’s grand mufti between 2005 and 2021, was arrested at Damascus airport in March 2025, after he emerged from hiding a month earlier. His trial started on June 25.

The courtroom handed Hassoun a number of jail sentences for varied fees, together with 20 years after being discovered responsible of inciting killings.

The decide additionally sentenced him to 10 years in jail after being discovered responsible of prolonging the killings.

The courtroom ordered the Muslim chief to pay compensation to make restitution to numerous his victims.

Decide Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan stated that Hassoun and the official non secular establishment he headed had been used to supply non secular cowl for army and safety operations throughout al-Assad’s rule.

His teachings additionally justified the usage of barrel bombs that focused civilian areas and prompted widespread destruction, which constitutes a violation of the foundations of worldwide humanitarian legislation, the decide stated.

The courtroom discovered that Hassoun additionally urged Syrian army officers and troopers in his non secular lectures to confront the nation’s opposition, and made public calls by means of Syrian media for civilians in jap Aleppo to evacuate their properties.

He additionally known as on the military to “annihilate and destroy” the areas from which shells had been launched, threatening the individuals of Idlib with killing and displacement.

The courtroom confirmed that Hassoun is barred from any basic or particular amnesty, given the gravity of the crimes he was discovered responsible of committing.

His cash and properties may even be confiscated by the state for the good thing about the general public treasury, the courtroom stated.

Overseas minister Asaad al-Shaibani welcomed the verict, writing on X that “defending the rights of our individuals” is a “sacred obligation that started with the primary cry for freedom and whose echo has not but pale”.

The decision comes weeks after Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and 5 different safety officers had been sentenced to loss of life in absentia for conflict crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity.

Authorities have additionally handed loss of life sentences to Atif Najib and Wassim al-Assad, cousins of the previous ruler who had been tried in particular person.

Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett stated Hassoun is an “uncommon” instance of the transitional justice instances that Syria has held since al-Assad’s ouster in 2024.

“All the different ones had been senior members of the regime itself, a lot of them had been members of the Assad household,” stated Pett.

“We’ve seen loss of life sentences handed right down to Bashar al-Assad, the previous president, two of his cousins as nicely. However Sheikh Ahmad Hassoun, he’s the primary Sunni to have been tried, and he does nonetheless take pleasure in some degree of widespread help right here in Syria.”

His supporters, who’ve largely mobilised on-line, say his statements have been taken out of context, Pett reported.

A lot of his critics, nonetheless, had known as for a loss of life sentence, she added.