A Kremlin spokesperson has denied reports suggesting that Asma al-Assad, the British-born wife of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, is seeking a divorce. Turkish media had reported that she intended to end her marriage and leave Russia, where she and her husband were granted asylum after a rebel coalition toppled his regime and took control of Damascus.
In response to the reports during a news conference, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, "No, they do not correspond to reality." He also refuted claims that Bashar al-Assad had been confined to Moscow and that his property assets had been frozen.
Russia, a key ally of the Assad regime, provided military support during the Syrian civil war. However, Turkish media reports on Sunday suggested that the Assads were living under strict limitations in Moscow, with claims that Asma al-Assad had filed for divorce and wanted to return to London.
Asma, a dual Syrian-British citizen, has been previously told by the UK foreign secretary that she would not be permitted to return to Britain.
"I want it confirmed that she's a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK," David Lammy said while speaking in parliament earlier this month,
He added he would do "everything I can in my power" to ensure no member of the Assad family "finds a place in the UK".
In a statement last week, Bashar al-Assad claimed that he had never intended to flee Syria, but was airlifted from a Russian military base at Moscow's request.
Who is Asma al-Assad?
Asma al-Assad, 49, was born in the UK to Syrian parents in 1975 and grew up in Acton, west London. She moved to Syria in 2000 at the age of 25 and married Bashar al-Assad just months after he succeeded his father as president. Throughout her 24 years as Syria's first lady, Asma was a subject of significant curiosity in Western media.
A controversial 2011 Vogue profile called Asma al-Assad "a rose in the desert" and described her as "the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies." The article has since been removed from the Vogue website.
Just one month later, Asma faced criticism for remaining silent while her husband violently repressed pro-democracy campaigners at the outset of the Syrian civil war. The conflict ultimately claimed the lives of around half a million people, with her husband accused of using chemical weapons against civilians.
