Asma al-Assad has not filed for divorce from Bashar al-Assad, says Kremlin

Kremlin Refutes Claims Of Assad's Divorce Filing

According to a spokesperson from the Kremlin, the British-born wife of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is not pursuing a divorce.

Turkish news outlets indicated that Asma al-Assad was considering ending her marriage and moving away from Russia. She and her husband had been given asylum there following the uprising that ousted the former president and led to the takeover of Damascus by rebel forces.

During a news conference call, Dmitry Peskov was asked about the reports and replied, "No, those claims are not accurate."

He also refuted claims that Assad had been restricted to Moscow and that his real estate holdings had been frozen.

Russia was a strong supporter of the Assad government and provided military assistance throughout the civil war.

However, Turkish media reports on Sunday indicated that the Assads were facing strict limitations while residing in Moscow. Additionally, it was suggested that the former Syrian first lady had initiated divorce proceedings and expressed a desire to go back to London.

Mrs. Assad holds both Syrian and British citizenship, but the UK Foreign Secretary has stated in the past that she would be prohibited from coming back to the UK.

In a recent speech in parliament, David Lammy stated, "I would like to receive confirmation that she is someone who is sanctioned and that she is unwelcome in the UK."

He stated that he would do "everything possible" to make sure that no member of the Assad family "is allowed to settle in the UK."

In a recent statement, Bashar al-Assad claimed that he never planned to leave Syria, but was instead taken away by air transport from a Russian military facility at Moscow's insistence.

"Asma Al-Assad Through The Lens"

Asma tied the knot with Bashar al-Assad roughly five months after he assumed the presidency of Syria in 2000.

She grew up in London with Syrian parents and moved to Syria at the age of 25 to marry Assad.

Asma al-Assad, 49, was born in 1975 in the United Kingdom to Syrian parents and spent her childhood in Acton, a neighborhood in west London.

In 2000, at the age of 25, she relocated to Syria and tied the knot with her husband shortly after he took over as president from his father.

During her 24 years as the first lady of Syria, Mrs. Assad was a focal point of interest for Western media.

A contentious profile from Vogue in 2011 referred to her as "a rose in the desert" and characterized her as "the most charming and captivating first lady." The piece has since been taken down from the Vogue website.

Only a month later, Mrs. Assad faced criticism for not speaking out as her husband forcefully suppressed pro-democracy activists in the early days of the Syrian civil war.

The fighting resulted in the deaths of about 500,000 individuals, with her spouse being accused of employing chemical weapons against non-combatants.

In 2016, Mrs. Assad revealed in an interview with Russian state-supported television that she turned down an offer for a safe exit from the conflict-stricken country so she could support her husband.

In 2018, she revealed that she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and she shared that she had completely recovered just a year later.

In May of this year, it was reported by the office of former President Assad that she had been diagnosed with leukemia and had started her treatment for the illness.

A statement indicated that she would be stepping back from public appearances for the time being.