Kremlin denies reports Asma al-Assad is seeking divorce and a return to London
The Kremlin has dismissed Turkish news reports claiming that Asma al-Assad, the British-born spouse of the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, is looking to get a divorce and aims to go back to London.
Earlier this month, Bashar al-Assad made a hasty escape to Moscow, disabling his plane's transponder to evade detection. His departure followed a rapid offensive by rebels that ended his family's half-century reign.
In a message shared on Telegram, Bashar al-Assad clarified that his exit from Syria wasn’t something he had organized beforehand. Instead, he claimed he had to evacuate because the Russian-controlled airbase where he was located faced increased assaults from drone attacks.
His family has maintained connections to Moscow for many years, with relatives acquiring properties in Russia valued at tens of millions of dollars throughout that time.
On Monday, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, dismissed Turkish media claims that Assad was being held in Moscow while his assets were frozen. “That’s not true,” Peskov stated during a conference call.
Russian state media hasn't shared any images of Assad within the country, suggesting that Moscow wants to keep him away from the spotlight while it works on building relationships with the new leadership in Syria.
Due to the Assads being regarded as outcasts on the global stage, their choices for travel were quite restricted. However, Russia was seen as a viable choice because it could potentially provide improved medical treatment for Assad's wife, who was diagnosed with leukemia in May.
Asma al-Assad was born in the UK in 1975 to parents who came from Syria. At the age of 49, she spent her childhood in Acton, a neighborhood in west London. In 2000, she left her position as an investment banker to marry Assad.
She quickly turned into a polarizing figure internationally, facing allegations of leveraging her British education and background to downplay the harshness of her husband's response to opposition.
In 2011, just a few weeks before pro-democracy activists began to protest in Syria, Vogue published a profile of her titled “A Rose in the Desert,” which has since been taken down. The article portrayed her as “the most captivating and vibrant of first ladies,” without acknowledging the fact that over 5,000 civilians had already lost their lives due to her husband's actions.
In 2020, the United States placed sanctions on the Assad family and some of their relatives. At that time, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo characterized these actions as a way to put a stop to the regime's "unjust and cruel conflict" against the Syrian population.
In his remarks, Pompeo highlighted the fact that Asma al-Assad, the spouse of Bashar al-Assad, has been designated for the first time. He pointed out that, with the backing of her husband and her Akhras family, she has become one of the most infamous individuals profiting from the war in Syria.
Though her assets in the UK were frozen back in March 2012, she still holds British citizenship. Earlier this month, David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, explicitly stated that she is not welcome in the country. “Recently, there has been talk that Asma Assad, who may hold UK citizenship, could try to enter the UK. I want to make it clear that she is a sanctioned person and is not allowed to come here,” he said during a parliamentary session.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was questioned about the possibility of her losing her British citizenship, similar to what has happened to individuals connected to the Islamic State group. He stated that it was "much too soon" to consider such an action.
With input from Reuters
