Syria Tries Ex-Grand Mufti for War Crimes, Fatwa Killings
(MENAFN) A Damascus court on Thursday began the trial of former Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun, accused of issuing religious decrees that sanctioned the killing of Syrian civilians during the popular uprising against Bashar al-Assad's government.
The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus opened proceedings against Hassoun, who served as Syria's highest religious authority under Assad until the regime's collapse in December 2024, a state news agency reported. Presiding over the session was public prosecutor Judge Hassan al-Turba, with representatives from both local and international human rights bodies in attendance.
Hassoun faces a sweeping set of charges, including complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as incitement to murder, among other offenses.
Syrian authorities detained him in March 2025 as he allegedly attempted to flee the country, having already been subject to an outstanding arrest warrant at the time.
A vocal loyalist of the Assad regime, Hassoun became widely recognized for publicly endorsing the violent suppression of opposition groups. Syrians mockingly labeled him the "Mufti of Barrels" — a grim reference to the barrel bombs that Assad's forces dropped on civilian neighborhoods throughout the conflict.
The news agency described the trial as part of a wider transitional justice effort designed to bring accountability to those responsible for wartime atrocities.
The proceedings come roughly six months after Bashar al-Assad — who governed Syria for nearly 25 years — fled to Russia in December 2024, bringing down the Baath Party regime that had held power since 1963. A transitional administration, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, was subsequently established in January 2025.
The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus opened proceedings against Hassoun, who served as Syria's highest religious authority under Assad until the regime's collapse in December 2024, a state news agency reported. Presiding over the session was public prosecutor Judge Hassan al-Turba, with representatives from both local and international human rights bodies in attendance.
Hassoun faces a sweeping set of charges, including complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as incitement to murder, among other offenses.
Syrian authorities detained him in March 2025 as he allegedly attempted to flee the country, having already been subject to an outstanding arrest warrant at the time.
A vocal loyalist of the Assad regime, Hassoun became widely recognized for publicly endorsing the violent suppression of opposition groups. Syrians mockingly labeled him the "Mufti of Barrels" — a grim reference to the barrel bombs that Assad's forces dropped on civilian neighborhoods throughout the conflict.
The news agency described the trial as part of a wider transitional justice effort designed to bring accountability to those responsible for wartime atrocities.
The proceedings come roughly six months after Bashar al-Assad — who governed Syria for nearly 25 years — fled to Russia in December 2024, bringing down the Baath Party regime that had held power since 1963. A transitional administration, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, was subsequently established in January 2025.
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