Asma al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad's wife, is a dual British- Syrian citizen. She and her husband are currently living as refugees in Russia after Mr Assad was overthrown by the opposition and forced to flee the country. Turkish sources said Asma wanted to return to the UK for cancer treatment and had filed for divorce.
The Telegraph reported that on December 22, the UK Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on whether Asma would have her passport revoked. However, Mr. Robert Jenrick, currently serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice (age minister in the opposition government), said: "her return to the UK to live in luxury would be an insult to the millions of victims of the Assad family."
The title "Shadow Secretary of State" in the British political system, in which members of the main opposition party play a role in supervising and criticizing the policies of the current government. These are the corresponding positions in the "Shadow Cabinet" of the opposition party, in preparation for the case of their party gaining control of the government in the future.
Foreign Minister David Lammy has previously said Asma is unwelcome in the UK and the sanctions against her remain in place.
In 2012, Asma's assets in the UK were frozen under the EU sanctions package amid protests against her husband's regime. The sanctions remain in place after the Brexit.
In 2021, London police opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that Asma had incited and supported war crimes by Assad regime forces during Syria's 13-year civil war.
The US also imposed sanctions on Asma and her family in 2020. The then-second Secretary of State Mike Trump called her "one of Syria's most notorious war profiteers."
Asma al-Assad, born in England, was a modern and Western-friendly model. She graduated from Kings College London with a first-class degree in computer science and has worked at major banks such as Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan.
However, that image collapsed after her husband carried out suppressions during the 2011 uprising, leading to a nearly 14-year civil war.
Kristyan Benedict, crisis manager for the International Humanitarian Organization, said UK authorities need to carefully investigate any reports of Asmas involvement in human rights violations if she goes to the UK.
Alicia Kearns, the opposition security minister, provincelized: "Let's go to England, Asma. A prosecution for inciting, supporting and encouraging war crimes is awaiting her."
The UK government has stripped Latirs of those who belong to extremist organizations like IS. Researcher Bader Mousa Al-Saif said that Asma's case " deserve to be treated more severely".
Russia denied on December 23 that Assad was trying to divorce her husband and leave Russia.
In theory, Assad could still return to London with her children. But if she is allowed to enter the country, she will be forced to leave her husband, otherwise, Mr Assad will be arrested upon arrival in the UK.
