Khaberni - The first session of the trial of the former Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun, began today, Thursday, in front of the Fourth Criminal Court in the Justice Palace in Damascus.
In a session that started publicly before becoming closed, the judge charged the former Mufti of Syria with charges related to incitement and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus directed serious charges against the former Mufti Hassoun, including:
• Establishing extensive and informal relations with pillars of the ousted regime, including Bashar Al-Assad, intelligence director Ali Mamlouk, senior officers, and leaders of sectarian militias.
• Exploiting the position of Mufti of the Republic to achieve personal interests outside the official framework.
• Delivering hundreds of lectures to army officers and security elements urging them to support the deposed regime against the opposition.
• Participating in media statements that included explicit incitement against civilians in the rebelling areas and refugees fleeing military operations.
• Issuing a call via a television channel to the residents of East Aleppo to evacuate the city, and calling for the extermination and destruction of any area from which shells are fired.
• Threatening the people of Idlib province with killing and displacement, while declaring that the Turkish army would not be able to protect them.
• Publicly endorsing via video segments Brigadier General Issam Zahreddine, accused of committing war crimes and genocide, and committing massacres and displacement in the areas of Douma and the Syrian Jazeera.
This trial is part of a series called by the Damascus government as "judicial trials that are public and dignified, led by the transitional justice process" under the supervision of the National Authority for Transitional Justice in Syria.
The area around the Justice Palace in Damascus witnessed intensive deployment of public security forces and internal security to secure the session and protect those present.
The session began publicly and was broadcast live, although the Ministry of Justice later decided to stop the live broadcast to protect the investigation proceedings and the judicial confidentiality associated with witness files.
In Syria, sessions of the trial and hearings for a number of individuals associated with the former regime continue, as part of a judicial process that authorities say aims to hold accountable those involved in violations that occurred over the past years.
The recent sessions included the trial of Atef Najib, in his fourth session on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, on charges related to the repression of Daraa protests, premeditated murder, torture, and arbitrary detention.
Also, Wednesday, June 24, saw the first session of the trial of Waseem Assad, accused of forming armed militias linked to the Fourth Division, in addition to kidnapping and drug trafficking.
Similarly, Abdel Nasser Baraq underwent a hearing on Monday, June 22, facing allegations of acting as a security informer, criminal slander, and premeditated murder.
The Ministry of Justice and the National Authority for Transitional Justice in Syria confirmed that the trials will continue unexceptionally, concurrent with efforts to establish a unified national registry of violations and update judicial legislation, ensuring the recovery of the rights of the victims and holding those responsible for the violations accountable.
