Syria sentences former Grand Mufti Hassoun to life in prison

Damascus's Fourth Criminal Court sentenced former Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun to life in prison on August 24, 2026, convicting him of inciting violence, justifying killings, and abusing his office during Syria's civil war. Hassoun, the state's top religious authority from 2005 to 2021, was arrested in March 2025 after emerging from hiding.