Damascus, Aug 24. (dpa/GNA) – The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, sentenced Syria’s former grand mufti, Ahmad Hassoun, to life imprisonment on Monday.
The presiding judge of the Fourth Criminal Court, convicted Hassoun of the felony, of committing acts aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian fighting, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The court also ordered that Hassoun be barred from benefiting from any general or special amnesty, due to the gravity of the crimes committed. It ordered the seizure and confiscation of his movable and immovable assets, in favour of the state treasury.
The court further ruled that Hassoun would not be eligible for conditional release or suspension of his sentence, and classified the acts established against him as crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Witnesses testified in court against Hassoun, alleging that he had blackmailed some of them and received money in exchange for securing the release of detainees.
They also testified about his links to the former Syrian regime’s security and military agencies.
This is the third verdict issued by a criminal court in Damascus following the conviction of Brig. Gen. Atef Najib, who headed the Political Security branch in Daraa in 2011, and the death sentence, subject to cassation, handed down against Wasim al-Assad, a cousin of Syria’s former president.
GNA