The wife of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, Asma al-Assad, is reportedly seeking a divorce and planning a move back to the UK after the collapse of her husband’s regime.
Asma, 49, who holds dual British-Syrian citizenship, has allegedly requested permission from a Russian court to leave Moscow for London, according to Turkish media reports.
The Assads fled to Moscow following the regime’s downfall in December, which ended 24 years of Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
While granted asylum in Russia, Bashar al-Assad is reportedly living under strict conditions, including frozen assets and a prohibition from leaving Moscow or engaging in political activities.
Among the family’s inaccessible assets are 270 kilograms of gold, over £1 billion in cash, and 18 apartments in Moscow.
Asma, who was born and raised in London before moving to Syria in 2000 to marry Assad, is said to be unhappy with their life in exile under constant security in Russia.
She is also undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive cancer, and reportedly prefers to receive medical care in the UK.
The couple’s three children are currently in Russia with their mother, while Bashar’s brother, Maher al-Assad, remains under house arrest in Russia as his asylum application is still under review.
The fall of Assad’s regime earlier this month marked the end of the Baath party’s 61-year hold on power in Syria.
Rebel forces led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) conducted the offensive that resulted in the regime’s overthrow.
Asma’s reported move could reignite debates in the UK about her return, given her ties to the Assad regime, which faced accusations of war crimes during the Syrian civil war.
