Who is Asma al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s wife?

While Bashar al-Assad was the president of Syria for almost 25 years, Asma, who was born in England, was his only wife.

Asma Akhras was born in Acton, west London, and attended a private school, where she was called “Emma”.

She continued her education studying computer science at King’s College London and eventually joined investment banking.

Asad met her in London, at that time he was a specialist in eye surgery.

Asma moved to Syria in 2000 and married Assad that same year, just months after he became president and succeeded his father, Hafiz al-Assad.

They had three children together, two sons and a daughter, all of whom are now adults.

This 49-year-old man was described as a changer in Syria when he took office, but that view has changed since the start of the severe civil war in the country in March 2011.

For years, the West had hoped that Asma, who grew up in Britain, could inspire political reform in Syria, as at the time a British company called PR was operating in Syria, which she was supposed to work for. in order to make that country famous internationally.

An informed source told the BBC in 2012 that Assad married Asma to work with him to introduce a new and modern face for the countries of the Middle East.

The marketing strategy has seen some improvement.

In February 2011, US Vogue magazine published a beautiful image entitled “Rose in the Desert”.

The article, which has since been removed from the media, was described as showing a “tall, slender beauty with training and a cunning mind,” as well as a “very attractive charm”.

The journalist who wrote the article, identified as Juliet Joan Buck, later expressed her regret over the article, saying she was “suffering” from her career and ending her relationship with Vogue.

At that time there were uprisings that spread in many places in the country, but Assad soon after that took steps to destroy the uprising which was described as a democracy, although when it went on, it turned into a severe civil war in which they died. more than half a million people, while another 12 million were forced to flee their homes.

A year later, in February 2012, Asma spoke out about the war and gave her first public comment, saying at the time that she was comforting the victims of the violence.

In a statement published in the British newspaper The Times, she reiterated her support for her husband and said: “The president is the president of Syria, not a group of Syrians, and the first lady supports him in that role.”

That same year, Asma’s reputation was dealt another blow when activists released thousands of private emails alleging her love of luxury goods.

The emails, which were first revealed by The Guardian newspaper in Britain, appeared to show Asma researching $5,000 (£3,200) 16cm high heels, at a time when the country was facing increasing instability.

The US State Department estimated the Assad family’s wealth in 2022 to be between $1-$2 billion.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Asma in March 2012.

She did not speak to the media for a while, but in 2016 she spoke to Rossiya 24 TV, which is supported by Russia. At that time, she said that she received offers to leave Syria, and she said that she refused. She did not say where those offers came from.

“I’ve been here since the beginning and I’ve never thought about going anywhere else,” she said.

“Yes, I was offered the opportunity to leave Syria or flee Syria. Among those things were guarantees of safety and protection of my children and even financial security. It does not take a genius to know what these people really were. . It was a deliberate attempt to destroy the people’s confidence in their president.”

As the war continued, Asma led humanitarian efforts, met with the families of slain soldiers, and became head of the “Syria Trust for Development,” a large non-governmental organization that coordinates relief efforts.

In 2018, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was treated for a malignant tumor at an early stage. A year later, she publicly announced that she was completely cured.

In May 2024, the Syrian Presidency announced that Asma had been diagnosed with blood cancer.

In a statement it said it will begin a special treatment protocol that requires it to isolate and withdraw from public engagement.

Nearly 25 years in office as First Lady came to an abrupt end on Sunday when Assad was toppled after rebel forces seized the country’s capital, Damascus.

Assad’s family is currently in Russia, a key ally of the former regime, where they have received political asylum, according to Russian state media.