Russia denies experiences that Bashar al-Assad’s spouse, Asma, filed for divorce

The Kremlin on Monday rejected Turkish media experiences that steered that Asma al-Assad, the British-born spouse of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, sought a divorce and wished to go away Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov additionally rejected Turkish media experiences that steered that Assad had been confined to Moscow and had his property property frozen.

Asked on a convention name if the experiences corresponded to actuality, Peskov mentioned: “No, they don’t correspond to actuality.”

Turkish and Arabic media reported on Sunday that Asma al-Assad had filed for divorce in Russia, the place the Assad household have been granted asylum this month after rebels took management of Damascus following a lightning advance.

Reports mentioned she was sad with their diminished way of life and wished to return to the UK, though it’s unlikely she can be allowed again.

Asma al-Assad was born in London in 1975 and has spent half her life within the UK, together with her mother and father nonetheless dwelling within the west of the capital metropolis.

She later graduated from London’s King’s College University with a level in laptop science and French literature earlier than transferring into finance, working at Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan.

Queen Elizabeth II (proper) receives Asma al-Assad and her husband, then Syria’s president Bashar Al-Assad, on December 17 2002, at Buckingham Palace, in London on their first go to to Britain. (KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / POOL / AFP)

It was on this line of labor that she met Bashar al-Assad within the late Nineteen Nineties, and the couple married just a few months after he succeeded his father, Hafez, as Syrian president in July 2000.

Feted by the Western media for her seems and elegance, Asma turned the toast of excessive society, internet hosting celebrities similar to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie whereas having fun with a lavish reception abroad. Fashion bible Vogue known as her the “Desert Rose.”

But her fame crumbled when she stood by her husband’s facet as he cracked down on anti-government protests that erupted in 2011, turning right into a full-scale civil struggle in June 2012.

She had her UK property frozen in March 2012 amid rising protests towards her husband’s rule, as a part of a European sanction program that London maintained after Brexit.

In this picture launched on the official Facebook web page of Syrian Presidency, Syrian President Bashar Assad, second left, and his spouse Asma, heart, and their kids Zein, left, Karim, proper, and Hafez stroll exterior the Great Mosque of Aleppo, also called the Umayyad Mosque, within the Old City of Aleppo, Syria, July 8, 2022. (Syrian Presidency Facebook web page by way of AP)

She retains British citizenship, however overseas minister David Lammy mentioned Monday that she was not welcome within the nation, suggesting she might quickly lose her UK passport.

In 2020 the United States imposed sanctions on Asma al-Assad, her mother and father and two brothers, with then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo describing her as “considered one of Syria’s most infamous struggle profiteers.”

Earlier this month, Syrian rebels took management of Damascus after a two-week offensive, ending 13 years of civil struggle towards the Syrian authorities and over 50 years of Assad household rule.

Bashar al-Assad himself fled Damascus on December 8, and was granted asylum in Russia the place his spouse and household have been already ready for him in Moscow, based on three former shut aides and a senior regional official.