ROSE & THORNS
How Assad’s Brit-born ‘Rose of the Desert’ wife in exile in Russia went from saviour of Syria to ‘First Lady of Hell’
Asma shaped Assad's image as a moderate leader
DEPOSED dictator Bashar al-Assad's British-born wife was once seen as a symbol of freedom and woman empowerment in the repressive Middle East.
But it did not take long for Asma al-Assad, who was described as a "Rose in the Desert" for her elegance and charm, to become a hallmark of oppression while serving as the "First Lady of Hell".
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The former first lady of Syria is now in exile in Russia after Islamic rebels toppled her butcher husband's regime, ousting the dictator and his family.
Born in England in 1975, Asma is the daughter of Fawaz Akhras, 78, a consultant cardiologist, and Sahar, 75, a diplomat at the Syrian embassy.
She grew up in a £1million mansion in West London and graduated with a computer science degree from King's College.
It was in the early 90s when Asma met Assad while vacationing in Syria.
Assad ousted
The couple is said to have fallen in love when the future tyrant moved to London to train as an ophthalmologist.
They got married in 2000, the same year when Assad suddenly inherited Syria's dictatorship after his brother and heir to the regime Bassel died in a car crash.
As the first lady of Syria, Asma - who does not wear a burqa or a veil to cover her face - left a strong impression of an independent woman on the world stage.
She told a friend that she was the “real dictator” in the family, according to The Telegraph.
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Asma symbolised Syria's relatively liberal political climate where women had more rights than in other Islamic nations, and shaped Assad's image as a moderate leader.
In 2010 Vogue magazine described her as a “desert rose” and a “long-limbed beauty with a trained analytic mind”.
But her liberal fame was short-lived and quickly collapsed as her husband began a brutal saga of torture and bloodshed against the Syrians.
Assad started to wipe out the opposition groups in the city of Homs which sparked the Syrian Civil War which killed 500,000 people while six million were left as refugees.
As a strong support to her husband, Asma is said to have orchestrated policies for his oppressive regime which controlled everything from access to the internet to subsided food rations.
She controlled major economic policies in the country that were marked as repressive.
As her role within Assad's dictatorship grew, she was unable to maintain her early image of the liberated woman operating at the heart of power in a Muslim country.
Her name soon became synonymous with her husband's atrocious regime - and she ended up being sanctioned by many countries for her role during Syria's civil war.
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Assad, along with wife Asma and three children, is said to have fled to Russia last week.
Vladimir Putin has granted political asylum to the ousted leader and his family on "humanitarian grounds".
Syrian rebels managed to seize control over Syria and now roam freely on the streets following a lightning-fast advance in the country.
The Sun reported how Asma's parent left their North West London suburb home a week ago - as rebel forces launched their advance on Damascus.
Fawaz and his wife Shar Otri declined to comment on the current situation. There is no suggestion the family has been involved in any wrongdoing.
A neighbour told The Sun: “The house has been empty for a week. They usually are around, so I think they may be hiding somewhere - but they have not come home for a week now.
“[Fawaz] had been there alone for the past four months, his wife was no longer living here.”
Harley Street cardiologist Fawaz since 2002 has also served as the director of the British Syrian Society which works to strengthen “relations at all levels between Britain and Syria.”
One neighbour in their North Acton street said the couple had kept a low profile since mass protests sparked the civil war in Syria more than a decade ago.
“They have been very quiet since 2012, and have been almost invisible since then,” she added.
Dozens of exiled fighters from the militant Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise offensive against Vladimir Putin's ally President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
This marked the conclusion of a regime notorious for its brutality, including chemical attacks, mass detentions, and the decimation of Syrian cities.
But challenges remain as Syrians celebrate, but hopes rise for a democratic future after years of war.
His fall not only signals the collapse of a dynastic dictatorship but also underscores the cost of clinging to power through terror.
Bashar al-Assad has left behind a shattered nation.
He decimated Syria’s infrastructure, fractured its society, and plunged millions into despair.
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Syria became synonymous with human suffering, and Assad’s name will forever be tied to some of the worst war crimes of the modern era.
The man once seen as a modernising reformer will be remembered instead as a symbol of unchecked brutality, his legacy written in the blood of his own people.
The dramatic rise and fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad
Assad’s rule over Syria ended in dramatic fashion after rebel forces stormed Damascus in a surprise offensive, forcing the dictator to flee to Russia.
This marked the conclusion of a regime notorious for its brutality, including chemical attacks, mass detentions, and the decimation of Syrian cities.
His life took a dramatic turn in 1994 when his elder brother, Bassel, the family’s chosen heir, died in a car accident.
Bashar was abruptly recalled to Syria and groomed for power.
Initially, hope stirred for reform as Bashar promised modernisation, anti-corruption measures, and political openness.
But the so-called “Damascus Spring” was short-lived.
Within a year, Assad cracked down on dissenters, signalling the beginning of his authoritarian rule.
The Assad regime quickly devolved into a kleptocracy, with Assad and his extended family siphoning wealth while suppressing opposition.
The Syrian Civil War became a geopolitical quagmire.
Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, portrayed himself as a bulwark against terrorism while cynically releasing jihadist prisoners to bolster extremist factions.
This fuelled the rise of groups like ISIS, reshaping global terror.
The end of Assad’s reign came abruptly in December 2024, as rebel forces launched a lightning offensive, exploiting weakened Syrian defences.
Rebels captured Damascus in a lightning campaign, declaring the capital “free” and marking the end of years of brutal authoritarian rule.
With Russia mired in Ukraine and Iran preoccupied with regional conflicts, Assad’s regime was left vulnerable.
Rebels stormed Aleppo, marking a symbolic victory, and Assad fled Damascus.
Assad left aboard a military plane amid rumours of its crash before resurfacing in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin granted him asylum.
It comes as an apparent Russian conspiracy to distribute false news about an al-Assad 'aircraft accident' has been exposed.
The Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security claimed on X that Russia "hid their trail" in assisting al-Assad's escape by circulating fake claims that he died in a crash.
Meanwhile, opposition forces took control of key cities, toppled Assad’s statues, and announced plans for a transitional government.
The fall of Assad deals a blow to allies Russia and Iran, with both withdrawing assets from Syria.
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