QatarAjel موقع حيادي یختص بنشر الأخبار العربية عامة والقطرية خاصة
The Kremlin announced on Monday that reports suggesting the wife of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had requested a divorce were incorrect.
This denial comes just days after Bashar al-Assad and his family sought refuge in Russia following the collapse of his regime in Syria on December 8.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also denied Turkish media reports that restrictions had been imposed on Assad’s movements and that his real estate assets had been frozen.
In response to a question about the veracity of these reports, Peskov stated, “No, they do not correspond to reality.”
Media reports indicated that Asma al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s wife, had filed for divorce with the intention of relocating to the British capital, London.
The Kremlin’s statement responded to a report by the Turkish website “A Haber,” which claimed that Asma al-Assad seeks to return to Britain, where she was born and raised and holds citizenship.
According to that report, her mother, Sahar Al-Atri, is leading the efforts for separation and is advocating for her daughter’s desire to continue her treatment in London after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in May 2024.
Who is Asma al-Assad?
Asma al-Akhras was born in London to Syrian parents.
She graduated in computer science and French literature from King’s College London.
She began her career in investment banking at JP Morgan.
Asma was planning to pursue an MBA at Harvard University when she met Bashar al-Assad before his ascendance to the presidency, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad.
Asma moved to Syria and married Bashar al-Assad in December 2000.
Following the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, the European Union imposed sanctions on her, which included a travel ban and an asset freeze.
In 2020, the United States implemented additional sanctions on Asma, accusing her of accumulating “illicit gains at the expense of the Syrian people.”
After she fled with her family to Russia following the fall of her husband’s regime, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that Asma al-Assad was “not welcome” in the United Kingdom.
Asma underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2018 and was declared cured in 2019. In May 2024, she announced her diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia.
