Full Breakdown
Former Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Syria
8/25/2026, 12:48:58 AM
The Verdict
On August 24, 2026, the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus sentenced former Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun to life imprisonment for incitement to violence, justification of murder and abuse of office. The court also ordered the confiscation of his movable and immovable assets for the public treasury.
Background & Context
The Syrian civil war began in 2011 after a crackdown on anti-government protests and lasted nearly 14 years, ending with the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 during an Islamist-led offensive. A transitional administration assumed power in January 2025, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and has pursued a series of accountability trials against senior officials of the former regime. On August 11, 2026, Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, and five former security officials were sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes.
Ahmad Hassoun served as Syria’s Grand Mufti from 2005 until the office was abolished in 2021, and was a vocal defender of Assad’s policies throughout the conflict. He was arrested at Damascus International Airport in March 2025 while attempting to leave the country after emerging from hiding. His trial began on June 25, 2026 before the Fourth Criminal Court.
Data & Statistics
- Estimated civilian deaths during the war exceed half a million; more than six million people were displaced.
- Hassoun is the tenth senior figure from the Assad era to receive a sentence from the new authorities.
- He is 77 years old and held the top religious post for 16 years.
- In addition to the life term, the court imposed custodial sentences ranging from three to 20 years for separate counts of incitement to intentional killing, complicity in killings and sectarian hatred.
Official Statements & Responses
- Representatives of the National Commission for Transitional Justice attended the sentencing session, underscoring the government’s claim that the trials are part of a broader transitional-justice framework.
Criticism & Opposition
- Balkees Jarrah, Middle East and North Africa director for Human Rights Watch, warned that “advancing justice for the litany of serious crimes committed in Syria requires more than just convictions, but building a system that can deliver competent, impartial, and independent justice.”
- Human-rights observers have repeatedly expressed concern that the rapid pace of the trials may compromise due-process standards.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Sources differ on the exact composition of the additional sentences: some list a 20-year term for inciting killings and a separate 10-year term for prolonging the killings, while others summarize the additional penalties as “three to 20 years” without specifying each count.
- The circumstances of Hassoun’s March 2025 arrest are consistently reported, but details of his attempted departure and the legal basis for the asset confiscation vary among accounts.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Advancing justice for the litany of serious crimes committed in Syria requires more than just convictions, but building a system that can deliver competent, impartial, and independent justice,” — Balkees Jarrah, the Middle East and North Africa director for Human Rights Watch
- “All of the other ones were senior members of the regime itself, many of them were members of the Assad family,” — Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett
