The United States government has long imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has presided over a civil war for more than nine years that has claimed the lives of approximately half a million people. But for the first time, on June 17, his British wife Asma was attacked with her own financial restrictions.
“We anticipate many more sanctions, and we will not stop until Assad and his regime stop their unnecessary and brutal war against the Syrian people,” United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. “I will take special note of the first time appointment of Asma al-Assad, the wife of Bashar al-Assad, who with the support of her husband and family members Akhras has become one of the most notorious war speculators from Syria. “
This photo taken on March 20, 2014, published on the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency, shows First Lady Asma Assad, on the left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, on the right, shaking hands with Syrian teachers in Damascus, Syria.
(AP Photo / Syrian Presidency via Facebook)
In recent years, the press has referred to her as everything from the “female face of the Assad dictatorship” to “Mrs. Monster” and “Lady Jasmine”, but who exactly is Asma Assad and what role has she played in the Bleeding? ?
“Asma al-Assad’s public roles have been one of propagandist and pseudo-humanitarian, but it is widely understood that she has been more intimately involved in her husband’s political decisions,” Kenan Rahmani, defense manager for The Syria Campaign, told Fox. based in Washington. News. “She has also strengthened the image of the regime, fueling regime propaganda showing that she and her husband Bashar are patriotic Syrians inspired by humanity and the duty to serve their people.”
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Born as the eldest daughter and the only daughter of a Syrian cardiologist father and a Syrian diplomatic mother, Asma Akhras was born at the highest levels of London society in 1975. Known as “Emma” by her friends, the then Akhras graduated from King’s College in 1996 with a BA in French Literature and Computer Science before entering the fast-paced world of investment banking. But just as she was preparing to earn an MBA from Harvard University, she reconnected with Bashar, an acquaintance she had met years earlier, and they were married in a secret ceremony in Damascus in December 2000.
Syria’s First Lady Asma al-Assad greets as she attends the opening ceremony of the 7th Middle East / North Africa Special Olympics Regional Games in Damascus on September 25, 2010.
(REUTERS)
As a Sunni Muslim who married the leadership of Assad Alawite, a branch of Shiism, the first couple were considered to be young and fresh reformers who would guide Syria to a new level of advancement and secularism, with Asthma actively behind the ban on hijabs in education. institutions and visits to churches and other religious minorities.
“When Bashar married a Sunni, that created the impression among Syrians that a change in sectarian regime policy could take place and play a positive role,” said Saad Sharea, a board member of the research firm. Syrian Bakkah. Media. “Rather, it was exactly the opposite of what happened.”
The couple had three children: two sons and one daughter born between 2001 and 2004.
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Asthma also rubbed shoulders with Hollywood royalty less than two years before the outbreak of the 2011 revolution.
As described in a widely ridiculed Vogue profile piece of the United States entitled “Desert Rose,” which was removed from the shelves for its brilliant representation and for failing to address human rights abuses and her husband’s authoritarian rule, the First Lady described Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in the ancient capital of Damascus.
Asma, the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, makes an appearance during a demonstration in support of her husband in Damascus on January 11, 2012.
(REUTERS)
But it all came to an end when the wave of peaceful protests in his country in early 2011 turned into a bitter conflict that continues to this day. And over the course of the last bloody decade, Asma’s role has been transformed and grown.
In the first months of the uprising, she gave no interviews and made few public appearances. Then, in early 2012, the European Union froze its assets and imposed a travel ban. As a UK citizen, Asma is able to visit her homeland and has therefore been the subject of numerous campaigns and calls on the British Home Office to revoke her citizenship. Some British leaders argue that there is more room for negotiation if she remains a citizen, while others say she still has a strong lobby of support stemming from her time in banking.
That same year, rumors of marital confusion began to rampage. Suggestive emails between Bashar and many other women leaked to the press. Asma is said to have used this to her advantage to negotiate a more meaningful role in the Damascus fold, cementing her own rise to power and a greater public profile.
“At first, she was not in favor of all these mass murders and atrocities, but after those emails about women in her environment were leaked, we heard that she wanted to go with her children, but the Army did not allow them to go,” said Ayman Abdel Nour, an adviser to the Assad government and a deserter of Syrian non-profit Christians for peace. “Then her father came and agreed that she begins to play an active role as first lady in the government [and] in return she would support the President with her love and her smile. “
This photo posted on the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency shows Syrian President Bashar Assad voting in the 2016 parliamentary elections, while his wife Asma, on the left, stands beside him in Damascus.
(AP)
It was not until the death of Bashar’s mother, the former first lady, that Asma was able to officially assume the esteemed title, Nour said.
“After 2016, he became a different person and participated in all the meetings and the government and NGOs,” he said.
In August 2018, it was announced that Asma had started treatment for early-stage breast cancer: Her Instagram account was adorned with images of colorful scarves wrapped around her head after chemotherapy. Almost an exact year after the announcement, she declared that she had no cancer.
While participating in World Breast Cancer Awareness Day and praising Syrian hospitals for their care, the sentiment did little to improve its international image as the regime has systematically bombarded medical facilities in opposition controlled areas for the whole war.
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The Asthma network of charities, especially the Syrian Development Trust, have been characterized by some foreign governments as fronts for the Syrian government’s financial operations.
“Asthma NGOs have benefited from contracts with UNHCR, UNICEF and UNDP, which have provided millions of dollars to their corrupt charity operation. The Syria Trust now manages 15 community centers that transfer money to the regime’s pockets, while providing aid to loyal communities, while also reinforcing the image of the Assad regime on the ground, “said Rahmani. “These community centers also teach courses on ‘effective citizenship’ and a highly pro-Assad curriculum. Employees of the Syria Trust were fired in 2011, 2012 for statements in favor of freedom or democracy.”
Syrian President Bashar Assad casts his vote with his wife Asma at an electoral college during a referendum on the new constitution, in Damascus, Syria, on February 26, 2012.
(AP / SANA)
Immediately after being slapped with sanctions, tireless Asma and Bashar posed for a photo shoot with Syrian soldiers on the battlefield, marking Asma’s apparent first time near the front lines.
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The bold move may be the start of the first lady, now 44, who experts anticipate will only accumulate influence and influence as the regime regains more and more territory.
“There are many powers that want Bashar to leave, but to keep him in the family, she is a possible Plan B, part of the female empowerment propaganda,” added Nour. “But if there is a complete regime change, she and her children should escape.”
