Kremlin seeks to quell Assad divorce reports

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma in 2010, at an official welcoming ceremony in Sofia

Asma grew up in London with Syrian parents, before moving to Syria in 2000, the year Bashar became president

(Image credit: Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP / Getty Images)

published 24 December 2024

Russia has denied claims that Bashar al-Assad's wife Asma wants to divorce the fallen Syrian dictator and return to Britain.

Media reports in Turkish and Arabic suggested she wanted to leave her husband after the family was ousted from power and granted asylum in Russia this month.

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Hollie Clemence is the UK executive editor. She joined the team in 2011 and spent six years as news editor for the site, during which time the country had three general elections, a Brexit referendum, a Covid pandemic and a new generation of British royals. Before that, she was a reporter for IHS Jane’s Police Review, and travelled the country interviewing police chiefs, politicians and rank-and-file officers, occasionally from the back of a helicopter or police van. She has a master’s in magazine journalism from City University, London, and has written for publications and websites including TheTimes.co.uk and Police Oracle.