All we find out about evil dictator Assad’s British spouse – from divorce claims to most cancers battle

Asma al-Assad – the wife of deposed Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad – has filed for divorce after nearly 25 years of marriage and is reportedly fed up with her life under guard of the Vladimir Putin regime in Russia.

The former investment banker, 49, has applied to a Russian court for permission to leave Russia for Britain, according to Turkish and Arab media reports. Her husband is no longer in power in Syria, his downfall marking the end of the Assad family’s 54-year tenure. It leaves Mrs Assad and her family, including their three children, under “severe restrictions” in Moscow, it is believed. Assad and his clan are believed to own dozens of apartments in the Russian capital, but his – and potentially her – money and assets are reportedly frozen currently.

And Mrs Assad’s bleak situation is compounded as she continues to undergo treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer. The mum was diagnosed with the cancer in the spring, years after beating breast cancer. Her malignant tumour was spotted in its early stages in 2018. Nevertheless, the defiant mum has continued to try to maintain a public role, promoting civil and charity groups, while her husband has spent time killing people with chemical welfare.

Accusation of ‘insensitivity at the highest level’

Mrs Assad, a British-Syrian dual citizen who was born in London, has over the years shared pictures on social media which represent an alternate life in Syria to the one shocking the world. She has often featured on her Instagram photos of her speaking to children or holding babies in hospital as part of a suspected public relations offensive to contrast her husband’s work. The Mirror reported in 2017 how the Syrian First Lady posted a photo to her Instagram followers of her meeting students at the country’s National Centre for High Achieving Students.

When she posted a picture surrounded by children with hashtags that referenced children and the future, US scholar and Syrian expert Andrew Tabler, who worked with the first lady between 2001 and 2008, told Fox News: “She is part of the regime’s normalisation campaign. It shows indifference and insensitivity at the highest level. I think she’s fully aware of what’s going on. And it makes your stomach churn.”

Breast cancer diagnosis

Mrs Assad, who graduated from King’s College London in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and French literature, had treatment for breast cancer in 2018. Her malignant tumour was discovered in its early stages, reports claimed. But the former investment banker needed care at a military hospital in Damascus, Syria. Pictures posted to the couple’s official Facebook pages showed a smiling Assad as he sat next to his wife while she received an IV drip in her left arm.

Another Facebook picture released by the couple showed a healthy-looking Mrs Assad upright with a heavily bandaged wrist. The post read in Arabic: “I belong to the (Syrian) people who taught the world steadfastness, strength and how to face difficulties. My determination comes from your determination and strength in the past years.” On August 4, 2019, Mrs Assad publicly stated she had fully recovered and is officially cancer free.

Mrs Assad’s second cancer journey

Just five years after being declared cancer free, Mrs Assad was diagnosed with leukaemia. She had presented with several symptoms and following a comprehensive series of medical tests and examinations,” an official statement read in May. The mum had to temporarily withdraw from all direct engagements as part of the treatment plan. It is understood Mrs Assad continues to receive treatment for cancer and hopes a return to the UK will aid her recovery. Treatment will be provided quicker here than in Moscow, it is believed. However, this month, the family was offered a safe haven by Vladimir Putin, who spirited the toppled president out of Syria on December 8, shortly before his country fell into the hands of rebels.

Proud mother of three

Mrs Assad shares three children with her husband; Hafez, who was born in 2001, followed by a daughter in 2003, and their second son in 2004. Hafez, who was regarded as a potential successor to his father before the fall of the Assad regime, attended Moscow State University, where he dedicated his thesis “to the martyrs of the Syrian Arab Army, without whose selfless sacrifices none of us would exist”.

His mum had celebrated with him in Russia when he was awarded his degree, which is believed to be in Mathematics. Her knowledgeable son, it is understood, speaks English and Russian, and is reportedly studying Chinese. Little is known about Hafez’s siblings, including his brother who is aged 20, it is believed. In January 2013, Mr Assad stated in an interview that his wife was pregnant, however there were no later reports of them having a fourth child.

Mrs Assad’s divorce claims

Since having children, the former City investment banker has been seen as a reforming figure in the Assad regime and enjoyed a positive public image prior to the outbreak of Syria’s bloody civil war in 2011. And Mrs Assad has been praised for her charity work and championed economic development and women’s rights in the largely conservative Muslim nation.

But the landscape has changed and now, following the toppling of the Assad empire, the mum is reportedly determined to move back to the UK. This may prove tricky because, as early as 2012, Mrs Assad’s assets were frozen by the European Union who placed a travel ban on her and her husband.

It’s led to reports Mrs Assad has filed for divorce, nearly 25 years after she tied the knot. They met more than 30 years ago when Mr Assad, 59, moved to the UK to train as an ophthalmologist at the Western Eye Hospital in central London. Mrs Assad has applied to a Russian court for permission to leave Russia for Britain, according to The Jerusalem Post, citing Turkish and Arab media reports. Her application is currently being evaluated by the Russian authorities, according to the accounts.