Bashar al-Assad's wife files for divorce, seeks to move to UK: Report

The deposed Syrian President's wife has applied to the Russian court and requested special permission to leave Moscow. (Image: AFP file photo)

Weeks after Syrian rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime, forcing him to flee to Russia, media reports indicate that the British wife of Syria’s deposed president Bashar al-Assad, Asma al-Assad, has filed for divorce after expressing dissatisfaction with her life in Moscow.

Asma reportedly seeks to move to London. She applied to the Russian court and requested special permission to leave Moscow. Her application is reportedly currently being evaluated by Russian authorities.

Bashar al-Assad fled the country and moved to Russia after rebel groups in the country swiftly took over the Syrian capital of Damascus. Russia, a longtime ally of Assad, eventually handed him and his family asylum based on “humanitarian grounds”.

Speaking out for the first time since rebels ended more than 50 years, deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, defended his decision to leave his country and go to Russia.

Asma moved to Syria in 2000 and married Assad in the same year. She was 25 at that time. While the Russian authorities have accepted Assad’s request for asylum, the Syrian leader is still living under severe restrictions. As of now, he is barred from leaving Moscow or engaging in any sort of political activities.

Meanwhile, the Russian authorities also froze his assets and money. The assets he carried to Moscow included 270 kilograms of gold, $2 billion, along with 18 apartments in the Russian capital. Interestingly, Russia did not accept the asylum request of Bashar al-Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad.

The authorities noted that his asylum request is still under “review”. Assad’s decades-long reign came to an end in early December during an offensive by rebel forces led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).