Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Syria’s Barrel Bomb Mufti Sentenced to Life in Prison
Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun was a senior religious leader in Syria.
He served as the country’s grand mufti from 2005 to 2021.
During the civil war, he supported Bashar al-Assad’s government.
He described the protests against Assad as a foreign-backed terrorist plot.
He also defended the government’s use of barrel bombs in civilian areas.
Because of this, critics called him the “barrel bomb mufti.”
A court in Damascus found him guilty of encouraging violence and civil war.
The court sentenced him to life in prison and ordered his assets confiscated.
Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Damascus court on August 24.
The Fourth Criminal Court convicted the former grand mufti of inciting violence and civil war.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty in a trial that began on June 25.
Hassoun defended Bashar al-Assad’s regime and justified attacks on civilian areas using barrel bombs.
He was detained at Damascus International Airport in March 2025 while allegedly trying to flee Syria.
- Who
- Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, Syria’s former grand mufti, was sentenced by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus.
- What
- He was convicted of inciting violence and civil war, justifying killings, abusing his office, and alleged involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- When
- The sentence was issued on August 24; his trial began on June 25, and he was detained in March 2025.
- Where
- The sentence was handed down in Damascus, Syria; Hassoun was detained at Damascus International Airport.
- Why
- The case is part of Syria’s post-Assad transitional justice process to hold senior former-regime figures accountable.
- Sentence
- Life imprisonment
- Court
- Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus
- Former office
- Syria’s grand mufti from 2005 to 2021
- Trial start
- June 25
- Detention
- Damascus International Airport, March 2025
- Additional penalty
- Assets confiscated for the public treasury
- Prosecutors’ request
- The death penalty