Syria court sentences Assad-era grand mufti to life in prison

Key Points:

• Syria's former top Muslim cleric, former grand mufti Ahmad Hassoun, was sentenced to life in prison for inciting civil war, sectarian strife, and complicity in intentional killing, with the court finding he provided religious cover for regime military operations during the civil war.
• The court ruled that Hassoun's office justified the use of barrel bombs and supported pro-regime militias financially, while Hassoun denied wrongdoing, claiming video evidence was taken out of context.
• Earlier in August, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior regime figures were sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity, though most trials were conducted without their presence.
• These trials have offered some Syrians a sense of justice for the civil war atrocities, but human rights groups have criticized the lack of transparency in the court proceedings.
• Separately, the United States removed Syria from its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism after 47 years, fulfilling a promise by President Donald Trump to ease sanctions.