Once celebrated as a modern, glamorous figure, Asma al-Assad, the wife of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is now a woman with no real refuge. Criticized for her controversial role alongside her husband, she is today persona non grata in most Western countries.
Born in 1975 in London, Asma al-Assad, whose maiden name was Asma Fawaz Akhras, seemed destined for a bright future.
Coming from a Sunni Syrian family from Homs – her father a cardiologist and her mother a diplomat – she grew up in privileged surroundings, studying at prestigious establishments, including Queen's College and King's College, where she obtained a degree in computer science and literature. French in 1996.
His career in finance began at Deutsche Bank, before joining the investment bank JP Morgan. Asma al-Assad was then the embodiment of the London elite, ready to attend Harvard for further studies.
But everything changed when she met Bashar al-Assad at the end of the 1990s. She chose to give up Harvard to marry him in 2000, shortly after he assumed the Syrian presidency.
The hope of a modern first lady
Upon her arrival in Damascus, Asma al-Assad disrupted the traditional role of first lady. Coming from a Sunni family, she was seen as a bridge between the Syrian Sunni majority and the Alawite movement to which her husband belongs.
With her refined style and apparent commitment to charitable causes, she stands out from her predecessor, Anissa Makhlouf, the mother of Bashar al-Assad.
Nicknamed the “Arab Lady Diana,” she was welcomed with pomp during visits abroad and received celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. In 2011, Vogue magazine called her a “desert rose,” praising her elegance and her role as a devoted mother.
But this image quickly collapsed with the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.
A controversial figure in the Syrian dictatorship
From 2011, Asma al-Assad's unwavering support for her husband in the face of the popular revolt earned her severe criticism.
As the regime's violence plunges Syria into chaos, it remains silent, before its role becomes more controversial.
Emails leaked in 2012 reveal that she spent astronomical sums on luxury clothing, jewelry and antiques, while the Syrian population suffered from famine and mass displacement. Among his purchases were jewel-encrusted Louboutin high heels, worth up to 250,000 euros.
On the political level, Asma al-Assad is accused of having used her charitable organization, the Syria Trust for Developmentto divert foreign funds for personal purposes and to consolidate the power of the regime.
In 2020, American sanctions qualified her as a “war profiteer”.
A flight to Moscow, but for how long?
At the end of 2024, a few days before her husband fled to Moscow, she left with her three children for the Russian capital, the regime's main ally.
The couple owns 18 apartments there, but their exile raises questions.
According to Turkish and Arab media, Asma al-Assad is considering leaving Moscow, citing a possible divorce and a desire to be closer to her family based in the United Kingdom. But his return to London seems unlikely.
She is not welcome
Despite her British passport, Asma al-Assad is subject to European sanctions and a freezing of her assets.
David Lammy, head of British diplomacy, recently declared: “She is targeted by sanctions and is not welcome. I will do everything in my power to ensure that no member of this family can settle in the UK. »
A symbol of decline
Once seen as an asset to modernize Syria's image, Asma al-Assad is now a figure rejected by the international community.
At 49, the woman who embodied the hope of an open and progressive Syria is today synonymous with repression and lust in times of war.
For Asma al-Assad, the fall of her husband's regime was accompanied by personal disgrace.
If Moscow could offer him a temporary respite, his presence in the Russian capital is nonetheless an exile symbolizing the end of his reign as “desert rose”.
