How Assad’s Brit-born ‘Rose of the Desert’ wife in exile in Russia went from saviour of Syria to ‘First Lady of Hell’
POSTED In the oppressive Middle East, the British-born wife of tyrant Bashar al-Assad was once regarded as a symbol of liberation and female empowerment.
However, Asma al-Assad, who was referred to as a “Rose in the Desert” due to her grace and beauty, quickly became the “First Lady of Hell” and a symbol of oppression.
After Islamic rebels overthrew her butcher husband’s government and drove out the tyrant and his family, the former first lady of Syria is currently living in exile in Russia.
Asma was born in England in 1975. Her parents are Sahar, 75, a diplomat in the Syrian embassy, and Fawaz Akhras, 78, a specialist cardiologist.
She received a computer science degree from King’s College and was raised in a one-million-dollar mansion in West London.
Asma first met Assad while on vacation in Syria in the early 1990s.
Assad ousted
When the future despot relocated to London to pursue his training as an ophthalmologist, the couple is supposed to have fallen in love.
They were married in 2000, the year when Assad unexpectedly came to power in Syria following the death of his brother, the regime’s heir, Bassel, in an automobile accident.
As the first lady of Syria, Asma made a powerful impression as an independent woman on the international scene by not covering her face with a burqa or veil.
According to The Telegraph, she claimed to a friend that she was the true family ruler.
Asma influenced Assad’s reputation as a moderate leader and represented Syria’s more liberal political environment, where women enjoyed greater rights than in other Islamic countries.
She was referred to as a desert rose and a long-limbed beauty with a trained analytical mind by Vogue magazine in 2010.
Her liberal fame, however, was short-lived and swiftly came to an end when her husband started a violent campaign of torture and murder against the Syrians.
The Syrian Civil War began when Assad began to eradicate the opposition organizations in the city of Homs, killing 500,000 people and leaving six million as refugees.
As a staunch ally of her husband, Asma is alleged to have crafted rules for his repressive government that regulated everything from internet access to subsidized food handouts.
She was in charge of the nation’s main economic policies, which were characterized as oppressive.
She was unable to uphold her early persona as the free woman at the center of authority in a Muslim nation as her position under Assad’s tyranny expanded.
Her name quickly came to represent her husband’s heinous rule, and she was ultimately sanctioned by numerous nations for her involvement in the Syrian civil war.
According to reports, Assad went to Russia last week with his wife Asma and their three children.
The ousted leader and his family have been granted political refuge by Vladimir Putin on “humanitarian grounds”.
After a swift advance in Syria, Syrian rebels were able to take over the country and are currently free to walk the streets.
According to The Sun, a week ago, as rebel troops began their assault on Damascus, Asma’s parents fled their suburban home in North West London.
Regarding the current state of affairs, Fawaz and his spouse Shar Otri choose not to comment. No evidence suggests the family has committed any misconduct.
The house has been vacant for a week, a neighbor informed The Sun. I believe they might be hiding somewhere because they are typically around, but they haven’t been home in a week.
His wife had left, so [Fawaz] had been there by himself for the last four months.
Since 2002, Fawaz, a cardiologist from Harley Street, has also been the director of the British Syrian Society, which aims to improve ties between Syria and Britain on all fronts.
According to a neighbor on their North Acton street, the couple has maintained a low profile ever since the Syrian civil war began more than ten years ago due to widespread protests.
She noted that they had been quite silent and nearly unnoticeable since 2012.
President Bashar al-Assad’s government was the target of a surprise attack by dozens of exiled combatants from the militant Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an ally of Vladimir Putin.
This signaled the end of a regime that was well-known for its cruelty, which included chemical strikes, mass arrests, and the destruction of Syrian cities.
As Syrians rejoice, there are still obstacles to overcome, but after years of conflict, optimism for a democratic future grows.
His downfall highlights the price of using terror to hold onto power and also marks the end of a dynastic dictatorship.
The country that Bashar al-Assad left behind is in ruins.
He shattered Syria’s society, destroyed its infrastructure, and left millions in misery.
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Syria came to represent human misery, and Assad’s name will always be associated with some of the most heinous war crimes of the contemporary era.
Instead of being recognized as a modernizing reformer, the guy will be remembered as a symbol of unbridled brutality, his legacy etched in his own people’s blood.
The dramatic rise and fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad
When opposition forces launched a surprise offensive in Damascus, forcing the dictator to flee to Russia, Assad’s control over Syria came to an abrupt end.
This signaled the end of a regime that was well-known for its cruelty, which included chemical strikes, mass arrests, and the destruction of Syrian cities.
When his older brother, Bassel, the family’s designated successor, passed away in a vehicle accident in 1994, his life took a drastic change.
Suddenly called back to Syria, Bashar was being prepared for leadership.
At first, there was optimism for reform as Bashar pledged political transparency, modernization, and anti-corruption efforts.
However, the so-called Damascus Spring did not last long.
The start of Assad’s authoritarian administration was marked by his crackdown on dissenters within a year.
With Assad and his extended family stealing money and stifling dissent, the Assad dictatorship swiftly turned into a kleptocracy.
The conflict in Syria turned become a geopolitical minefield.
Russia and Iran supported Assad, who fraudulently released jihadist prisoners to support extreme groups while portraying himself as a bulwark against terrorism.
This changed the face of international terror by fostering the growth of organizations like ISIS.
When opposition forces launched a rapid onslaught in December 2024, taking advantage of Syria’s depleted defenses, Assad’s rule came to an abrupt end.
After years of cruel authoritarian rule, the capital was declared free as rebels overran Damascus in a quick campaign.
Iran was concerned with regional conflicts and Russia was embroiled in Ukraine, leaving Assad’s administration exposed.
In a symbolic victory, rebels overran Aleppo, and Assad left Damascus.
Amidst reports of its accident, Assad departed on a military aircraft before reappearing in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin offered him sanctuary.
It comes as a purported Russian plot to spread bogus information about a ‘plane disaster’ involving al-Assad has been revealed.
Russia “hid their trail” in aiding al-Assad’s escape by spreading false reports that he perished in an accident, according to the Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security on X.
Opposition forces deposed Assad’s statues, seized control of important cities, and declared their intention to form a transitional administration.
Russia and Iran, allies, suffer a setback when Assad is overthrown since they both remove their assets from Syria.
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