A Syrian court has sentenced Ahmed Badr al-Din Hassoun, a senior religious official close to ousted former president Bashar al-Assad, to life imprisonment for crimes committed during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war. Hassoun served as Syria’s grand mufti from 2005 to 2021. He was arrested at Damascus airport in March last year, and judicial proceedings against him began in June this year.

Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Arian said Hassoun and the state religious institution under his authority were used to provide religious legitimacy for Assad government military operations. The court found allegations proven that he incited the military to displace civilians from eastern Aleppo, ordered the destruction of homes of Idlib residents, and was linked to deadly barrel-bomb attacks on civilians.

The court imposed 20 years in prison for incitement to murder and an additional 10 years for prolonging violence, alongside compensation orders. Hassoun is barred from general or special pardons because of the gravity of the crimes. His movable and immovable assets were ordered confiscated for the state treasury.