The British-born wife of overthrown Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad has filed for divorce and wants to return to the UK.
Asma al-Assad and her husband have been living in exile in Moscow ever since rebels toppled the dictator’s regime.
Asma, also known as “Rose of the Desert”, is said to be unhappy with her life in Russia and wants to return to Britain.
Assad and his family are apparently under “severe restrictions” in Russia’s capital.
Asma al-Assad grew up in London
PA
He is not allowed to leave the city or engage in political activities.
Assad’s money and assets are reported to be frozen, however, it has also been claimed that he moved £1.6billion along with 270kg of gold to Moscow. Assad is even said to own dozens of apartments in the city.
Asma reportedly filed for divorce from her husband to whom she has been married since 2000.
They began their relationship in the early 1990s when the future dictator moved to London to train as an eye doctor.
The couple married in the same year Assad inherited Syria’s dictatorship after his brother died in a car accident.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Asma has now applied to a Russian court for persmission to leave the country and her husband.
Her application is reportedly being evaluated by Russian authorities.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, denied claims that Asma had filed for divorce.
Bashar al-Assad was exiled to Moscow after his regime was toppled by rebels
REUTERS
He said the claims “do not correspond to reality”.
Asma and the couple’s three children were already in Russia before Assad’s exile, where she was receiving treatment for acute myeloid lukaemia.
Reports even state that Asma would prefer to receive treatment in the UK.
Meanwhile, her eldest son is finishing his education at Moscow State University.