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Syria's Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun is found guilty of committing war crimes spanning nearly 14 years of civil war under Bashar al-Assad's former regime and is sentenced to
Confirmed
The court confirmed that Hassoun is barred from any general or special amnesty, given the gravity of the crimes he was found guilty of committing. The court handed Hassoun several prison sentences for various charges, including 20 years after being found guilty of inciting killings.
The judge also sentenced him to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of prolonging the killings. The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus issued the ruling on Monday, finding Hassoun guilty of a range of crimes, including inciting violence, justifying killings and the abuse of his office.
The religious cleric, who vocally supported the regime's policies, was found guilty of a raft of crimes including inciting sectarian unrest and justifying murder. The court found that Hassoun also urged Syrian military officers and soldiers in his religious lectures to confront the country’s opposition, and made public calls through Syrian media for civilians in eastern Aleppo to evacuate their homes.
"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," said Balkees Jarrah, the Middle East and North Africa director for Human Rights Watch.
Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said that Hassoun and the official religious institution he headed were used to provide religious cover for military and security operations during al-Assad’s rule. Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett said Hassoun is an “unusual” example of the transitional justice cases that Syria has held since al-Assad’s ouster in 2024.
“All of the other ones were senior members of the regime itself, many of them were members of the Assad family,” said Pett. Judge Fakhreddine al-Aryan said the official religious establishment under Assad had "justified the use of barrel bombs that targeted civilian areas and caused widespread destruction, which constitutes a violation of the rules of international humanitarian law.
What's confirmed
- Judge Fakhreddine al-Aryan said the official religious establishment under Assad had "justified the use of barrel bombs that targeted civilian areas and caused widespread destruction, which constitutes a violation of…
- The court confirmed that Hassoun is barred from any general or special amnesty, given the gravity of the crimes he was found guilty of committing.
- The judge also sentenced him to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of prolonging the killings.
- The religious cleric, who vocally supported the regime's policies, was found guilty of a raft of crimes including inciting sectarian unrest and justifying murder.
- "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," said Balkees Jarrah, the
- Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said that Hassoun and the official religious institution he headed were used to provide religious cover for military and security operations during al-Assad’s rule.
What's still developing
- The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus issued the ruling on Monday, finding Hassoun guilty of a range of crimes, including inciting violence, justifying killings and the abuse of his office.
- The court handed Hassoun several prison sentences for various charges, including 20 years after being found guilty of inciting killings.
- The judge also sentenced him to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of prolonging the killings.
- Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said that Hassoun and the official religious institution he headed were used to provide religious cover for military and security operations during al-Assad’s rule.
- The court found that Hassoun also urged Syrian military officers and soldiers in his religious lectures to confront the country’s opposition, and made public calls through Syrian media for civilians in eastern Aleppo…
- The court confirmed that Hassoun is barred from any general or special amnesty, given the gravity of the crimes he was found guilty of committing.
- Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett said Hassoun is an “unusual” example of the transitional justice cases that Syria has held since al-Assad’s ouster in 2024.
- “All of the other ones were senior members of the regime itself, many of them were members of the Assad family,” said Pett.