Ahmad Hassoun, Assad’s ‘barrel bomb mufti’, faces Damascus court verdict
Al Jazeera
•Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:55:52 +0000
📰 What Happened
The verdict in the criminal case against Ahmad Badru Hassoun, Syria's former grand mufti, is set to be announced in Damascus on Monday. Prosecutors have called for the death penalty for the top Muslim religious figure during Bashar al-Assad's rule. Hassoun is being tried by the Fourth Criminal Court, which focuses on transitional justice cases, after his trial began on June 25.
🔍 The Backstory
Hassoun, who served as grand mufti between 2005 and 2021, was detained at Damascus airport in March 2025 after emerging from hiding. He is known for using dehumanising language against opponents of the former government and for deep ties to state and security officials. Critics called him the 'barrel-bomb mufti' for his resolute backing of the regime's brutal tactics.
🎯 Why It Matters
The case is a test of Syria's transitional justice after the fall of the Assad government. It asks whether senior religious figures who aided the regime can be held accountable.
The verdict in the criminal case against Ahmad Badru Hassoun, Syria's former grand mufti, is set to be announced in Damascus on Monday. Prosecutors have called for the death penalty for the top Muslim religious figure during Bashar al-Assad's rule. Hassoun is being tried by the Fourth Criminal Court, which focuses on transitional justice cases, after his trial began on June 25.
Hassoun, who served as grand mufti between 2005 and 2021, was detained at Damascus airport in March 2025 after emerging from hiding. He is known for using dehumanising language against opponents of the former government and for deep ties to state and security officials. Critics called him the 'barrel-bomb mufti' for his resolute backing of the regime's brutal tactics.
The case is a test of Syria's transitional justice after the fall of the Assad government. It asks whether senior religious figures who aided the regime can be held accountable.