The British-born wife of ousted Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad has filed for divorce, according to reports.
Asma al-Assad, 49, and her husband are in Moscow after being forced into exile after Islamist rebels overthrew the dictator.
9
Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma at a gala dinner in Paris on July 13, 2008. Credit: Getty
9
Bashar and Asma married in 2000, the same year that Assad suddenly inherited the dictatorship in Syria
9
Queen Elizabeth II receives Asma Al-Assad and Bashar Al-Assad at Buckingham Palace in LondonCredit: PA: Press Association
9
The former first lady, once known as the “Desert Rose” for her elegance and charm, is said to be unhappy with her life under the watch of Putin’s regime in Russia and wants to return to the UK.
She is also said to have filed for divorce from Assad, whom she met in the early 1990s while on holiday in Syria.
They began their relationship when the would-be murderous tyrant moved to London to train as an eye doctor.
The couple then married in 2000, the same year that Assad suddenly inherited the dictatorship in Syria after his brother and regime heir Bassel was killed in a car accident.
But Asma has now applied to a Russian court for permission to leave Russia – and her husband – for Britain, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Her application is being evaluated by the Russian authorities, it is stated.
Butcher Assad and his family are believed to be under “severe restrictions” in Moscow, barred from leaving the city or participating in political activities.
His assets and money in Russia are reported to be frozen – but he is claimed to have moved around 270kg of gold and £1.6billion to Moscow.
Assad and his clan are believed to own dozens of apartments in the Russian capital.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov today dismissed claims that Asma had filed for divorce.
Tyrant Assad ‘Sold Syrian Military Secrets to Enemy Israel to Let Him ESCAPE’
He said, “No, they don’t correspond to reality.”
The despot and his family were offered safe haven by Vladimir Putin, who took the ousted president out of Syria on December 8 – shortly before his country fell to rebels.
Asma and the couple’s three children were already in Russia, where she was reportedly undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer.
Reports claim she would prefer to be treated in the UK.
Who is Asma al-Assad?
Sayan Bose, foreign correspondent
DEPOSED dictator Bashar al-Assad’s British-born wife was once seen as a symbol of women’s freedom and empowerment in the repressive Middle East.
But it didn’t take long for Asma al-Assad, who has been described as a “Rose in the desert,” to become a trademark of oppression as she served as the “First Lady of Hell.”
The former first lady of Syria is now in exile in Russia after Islamic rebels toppled the regime of her butcher husband, ousting the dictator and his family.
Born in England in 1975, Asma is the daughter of Fawaz Akhras, 78, a consultant cardiologist, and Sahar, 75, a diplomat in the Syrian embassy.
She grew up in a £1 million mansion in west London and graduated in computer science from King’s College.
She met Assad in the 1990s, and they married in 2000.
As the first lady of Syria, Asma – who does not wear a burka or a veil to cover her face – left a strong impression of an independent woman on the world stage.
She told a friend that she is the “real dictator” in the family, writes The Telegraph.
Asma symbolized the relatively liberal political climate in Syria where women had more rights than in other Islamic nations and shaped Assad’s image as a moderate leader.
In 2010, Vogue magazine described her as a “desert rose” and “a long-limbed beauty with a trained analytical mind”.
But her liberal fame was short-lived and quickly crumbled when her husband began a brutal saga of torture and bloodshed against the Syrians.
Assad began wiping out opposition groups in the city of Homs, sparking the Syrian Civil War in which 500,000 people were killed and six million left as refugees.
As a strong supporter of her husband, Asma allegedly orchestrated policies for his oppressive regime that controlled everything from internet access to reduced food rations.
She controlled the main economic policies in the country which were labeled as repressive.
As her role in the Assad dictatorship grew, she could not maintain her early image as a liberated woman operating at the center of power in a Muslim country.
Her name soon became synonymous with her husband’s brutal regime – and she ended up sanctioned by many countries for her role during the Syrian civil war.
In Moscow, the Assad clan is linked to luxury properties in the 990-foot City of Capitals complex and the nearby 1,226-foot Federation Tower.
His extended family owns dozens of properties there and elsewhere in Moscow, but the family is now believed to be living in official Russian government accommodation.
A week before Assad’s loss of power, their eldest son Hafez Bashar al-Assad, 23, was in Russia defending his thesis at Moscow State University.
His mother Asma celebrated with him in Russia when he was awarded a degree from the same university last year.
The Sun reported that Asma’s parents had left their home in a north-west London suburb in early December – as rebel forces began their advance on Damascus.
9
Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma arrive at the Elysee Palace in Paris on July 14, 2008. Credit: AFP
9
A view of the destruction in Eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria on December 21 Credit: Getty
9
A woman spits on a portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, SyriaCredit: AP
The dramatic rise and fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad
Assad’s rule of Syria ended in dramatic fashion after rebel forces stormed Damascus in a surprise offensive, forcing the dictator to flee to Russia.
This marked the end of a regime notorious for its brutality, including chemical attacks, mass detentions and the decimation of Syrian cities.
His life took a dramatic turn in 1994 when his older brother Bassel, the chosen heir of the family, died in a car accident.
Bashar was suddenly called to Syria and groomed for power.
In the beginning, there was hope for reforms as Bashar promised modernization, anti-corruption measures and political openness.
But the so-called “spring in Damascus” was short-lived.
Within a year, Assad cracked down on dissent, marking the beginning of his authoritarian rule.
The Assad regime has quickly turned into a kleptocracy, with Assad and his extended family siphoning off wealth while suppressing the opposition.
The Syrian civil war has become a geopolitical quagmire.
Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, presented himself as a bulwark against terrorism while cynically freeing jihadist prisoners to bolster extremist factions.
This fueled the rise of groups like ISIS, reshaping global terror.
The end of Assad’s rule came suddenly in December 2024, when rebel forces launched a lightning offensive, taking advantage of weakened Syrian defenses.
Rebels seized Damascus in a lightning campaign, declaring the capital “free” and marking the end of years of brutal authoritarian rule.
With Russia mired in Ukraine and Iran preoccupied with regional conflicts, the Assad regime remained vulnerable.
Rebels stormed Aleppo, marking a symbolic victory, and Assad fled Damascus.
Assad left in a military plane amid rumors of his downfall before reappearing in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin granted him asylum.
It comes after an apparent Russian plot to spread fake news about al-Assad’s ‘plane crash’ was exposed.
Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security claimed on X that Russia “covered its tracks” in helping al-Assad escape by spreading false claims that he had died in an accident.
Meanwhile, opposition forces have taken control of key cities, toppled statues of Assad and announced plans for a transitional government.
The fall of Assad deals a blow to allies Russia and Iran, both of which have pulled assets from Syria.
9
Assad fled to Moscow to stay safe under the wing of his evil friend Vladimir PutinCredit: Reuters 
9
An opposition fighter stood on the bust of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad in DamascusCredit: AP
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education