A Syrian court has sentenced Ahmed Hassoun, the former grand mufti and a prominent supporter of ex-President Bashar al-Assad, to life imprisonment over offences linked to the former regime. The 77-year-old cleric was convicted of inciting civil war and sectarian violence, marking a significant development in Syria’s ongoing efforts to prosecute figures associated with Assad’s government. 

Hassoun served as Syria’s top Muslim cleric for 16 years, from 2005 until the position was abolished in 2021. The court found him guilty of several offences, including incitement to intentional homicide, complicity in intentional homicide and encouraging sectarian and racial conflict. His assets were also ordered to be confiscated and transferred to the state treasury.

The former cleric was arrested in March 2025 at Damascus airport while reportedly attempting to leave the country. His sentencing comes as Syria’s post-Assad authorities expand legal proceedings against former regime officials and influential figures accused of abuses during the country’s civil war.

The trials have attracted both support from Syrians seeking accountability and concerns from human rights organisations over the fairness and independence of the proceedings. The conflict, which began in 2011, resulted in about half a million deaths and displaced millions of people before Assad was ousted in December 2024.