BEIRUT: A Syrian court has sentenced prominent Al-Jazeera personality Faisal Kassem to death, pro- and anti-regime sources said Wednesday. Kassem has been a vocal, abrasive and controversial foe of the Syrian regime throughout the course of the uprising, and his home in the southern province of Swaida was confiscated by the authorities last year and used to house pro-regime militiamen. 

Kassem has promoted his views on his weekly television show, The Opposite Direction, and on social media, where he commands a huge following. The sources said the court found Kassem guilty on five counts - financing terror groups, conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, spreading “false news,” and two related to inciting armed strife and provoking “sectarian sentiment.” 

The final two counts carry the death penalty, according to the court document that was circulated widely on social media. Kassem is a native of the village of Thaaleh in Swaida province.