Assad-era's grand mufti sentenced to life in prison by court in Damascus

Key Points:

• Former grand mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun, a loyalist to ex-President Bashar Assad, was sentenced to life in prison for inciting violence and justifying murder in Syria's latest court trial of Assad-affiliated officials.
• Hassoun, who served as mufti from 2005 until the position was abolished in 2021, was convicted amid accusations that the Assad-era religious establishment justified the use of barrel bombs on civilian areas, violating international humanitarian law.
• Several other senior officials from Assad's regime, including Bashar Assad and his brother Maher, have recently been sentenced to death, often in absentia, while Hassoun was present and in custody during his trial.
• Human rights groups have raised concerns about the fairness and speed of these trials, though many Syrians have welcomed the government's actions against former regime figures.
• The trials occur against the backdrop of Syria's ongoing civil war, which began with anti-government protests in 2011 and has resulted in approximately half a million deaths and the displacement of over half the country's prewar population.