Family of Assad speak over 'divorce' as wife faces hurdle over return to UK
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Bashar al-Assad’s wife may not be allowed back to the UK for medical treatment after confusion over her filing for divorce. Reports emerged that Asma al-Assad, 49, who is currently exiled in Moscow with the former Damascus dictator wanted to move to London. It was claimed that former first lady was dissatisfied with her life under the guard of the Putin regime in Russia and wanted to return to the UK where she was born, as well as have a divorce.
Asma was already in Russia before the coup to topple Assad, where reports say she has been undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood and bone marrow cancer. One version is that she would prefer to be treated in the UK.
But quickly after these reports emerged, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rubbished them and said: “No they do not correspond to reality.” He also denied that Assad’s family was being restricted where they can stay. While Asma’s father Fawaz Akhras told The Daily Beast: “I am able to confirm that the reports are false,” over claims that she wanted a divorce and to come to the UK. He added: “She is receiving the best treatment possible.".
And it would appear unlikely that she would be allowed back into the UK, even though she holds a UK passport, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy having said in the past that she is not welcome. "I want it confirmed that she's a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK,” he told Parliament. He also added he would do "everything I can in my power" to ensure no member of the Assad family "finds a place in the UK”.
