The Damascus Criminal Court began on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the first sessions in the trial of Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun, the former regime's Grand Mufti, known as the "Mufti of the Barrels."
The charges against Hassoun include premeditated murder, incitement to internal fighting, and participation in crimes that targeted civilians, over his stances and open support for the regime during the years of the Syrian revolution. Security forces had detained him at Damascus airport in March 2025 as he tried to leave the country, and he remained in custody until the start of his trial.
