The wife of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad filed for divorce and wants to go to the UK
According to a Turkish report, Asma al-Assad, who is in Russia after her husband's regime was overthrown by jihadist groups, wants to return to London, her hometown, to be with her family and continue her treatment for leukemia there. Moscow denied the report.
Bashar and Asma al-Asad
Asma al-Assad, the wife of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, has filed for divorce in a Russian court, where she is currently residing. This comes after her husband's overthrow by jihadist groups, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), in Syria, according to Turkish news channel Habertürk.
Asma al-Assad, born in London, UK, plans to return to her hometown to be with her family, the Turkish media outlet reported.
The former Syrian dictator's wife, Asma al-Assad, is suffering from leukemia. As a result, her mother, Sahar al-Atri, a former Syrian diplomat, is pursuing legal efforts to facilitate her daughter's return to London for cancer treatment, according to Habertürk.
However, it seems unlikely that Asma al-Assad will be able to return to the UK in the short term. British law firms consulted by Sahar al-Altri have explained that the first step for the former Syrian first lady is to complete her divorce process. They also noted that citing health reasons as grounds to request her daughter's return would not be sufficient, given her involvement in her husband's dictatorship. Asma publicly defended the regime's crimes, and the Assad family's illicit wealth—largely accumulated through corruption and the captagon drug trade, which reportedly generated $5 billion annually for the regime—further complicates her case.
The former First Lady comes from an affluent background. Her father, Fawaz al-Akhras, is a prominent cardiologist within the Syrian community in the United Kingdom.
The restrictions imposed by Moscow on Bashar al-Assad
Although his asylum application was accepted, Bashar al-Assad is not permitted to leave Moscow or engage in political activities. Additionally, Russian authorities have frozen his assets and financial holdings, according to Turkish and Arab media reports.
His assets include 270 kilograms of gold, $2 billion and 18 apartments in Moscow.
Moscow rejected the reports
On Monday, the Russian government rejected the report suggesting that Asma al-Assad filed for divorce, as well as reports that the former Turkish dictator is not allowed to leave Moscow and that his assets had been frozen.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the reports "do not correspond to reality."
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