Bashar al-Assad’s wife files for divorce in Russia

Runaway Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s British wife, Asma al-Assad, has reportedly filed for divorce in a Russian court and is seeking permission to return to London for urgent medical treatment, according to a report by Turkish media.

Turkey’s leading newspaper, Haber Turk, reported that Asma, currently residing in Russia, has been diagnosed with leukaemia- a type of cancer caused by the rapid transmission of white blood cells and needs immediate medical care.

She has submitted two petitions in a Russian court, one asking for divorce, while the other seeks permission to leave Russia, where the Assad family is currently in asylum, following the toppling of the government.

Turkish news media quoted sources close to the couple that Asma al-Assad, who formerly worked as an investment banker in London before her marriage to the ousted Syrian leader, is planning to return to the UK for proper medical treatment.

Asma’s mother, Sahar al-Akhras, an ex-Syrian diplomat with British nationality, is said to have been contacting leading London-based law firms to facilitate her daughter’s safe return to the UK.

The news came just weeks after the Assad family fled Damascus and sought asylum as opposition forces of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took control of the Syrian capital on December 8, marking the end of his family’s five-decade-long iron-fisted rule.
 
Asma is going to argue the case on the grounds of not receiving adequate medical attention in Moscow.

Foreign experts predict that the potential divorce will add another layer of complexity to the challenges facing Bashar al-Assad, posing potential repercussions for the future of the Assad family's political influence in the Middle East region.

Notably, the couple had been married for 24 years. Asma was labelled 'Rose of the Desert' by Western media.

The two met during Bashar al-Assad’s residency in the UK and tied the knot in 2000, shortly after he succeeded his father as the president of Syria.