A Syrian court on Monday handed a life sentence to Ahmad Hassoun, the country's former grand mufti under ex-President Bashar Assad.
The religious cleric, who vocally supported the regime's policies, was found guilty of a raft of crimes including inciting sectarian unrest and justifying murder.
Judge Fakhreddine al-Aryan said the official religious establishment under Assad had "justified the use of barrel bombs that targeted civilian areas and caused widespread destruction, which constitutes a violation of the rules of international humanitarian law."A string of trials over civil war
Hassoun is the 10th Assad-era figure to be sentenced under Syria's new authorities.
Earlier this month, Assad himself and his brother Maher were sentenced to death in absentia for atrocities committed during Syria's civil war.
