Getty ImagesAsma al-Assad and her husband, deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, are these days in Russia (document picture) When Bashar al-Assad used to be toppled on Sunday, it grew to become the web page on no longer simplest his 24-year presidency however on greater than 50 years of his circle of relatives ruling Syria.Prior to Assad took place of business in 2000, his past due father Hafez used to be president for 3 many years.Now, with rebels led by means of the Islamist militant staff Hayat Tahrir-al Sham (HTS) forming a transitional executive, the way forward for the deposed president, his spouse and their 3 youngsters is unsure.They’re now in Russia, the place they’ve been presented asylum, however what lies forward for them?Why did Assad flee to Russia?Russia used to be a staunch best friend of Assad right through Syria’s civil warfare and has two key army bases within the Center Japanese nation.In 2015, Russia introduced an air marketing campaign in reinforce of Assad that grew to become the tide of the warfare within the executive’s favour.A UK-based tracking staff reported that greater than greater than 21,000 other people, together with 8,700 civilians, had been killed in Russian army operations over the next 9 years.Then again, distracted by means of its warfare in Ukraine, Russia used to be both unwilling or not able to lend a hand Assad’s executive prevent the insurrection’s lightning offensive after it all started in past due November.Hours after insurrection forces seized keep watch over of Damascus, it used to be reported by means of Russian state media that Assad and his circle of relatives had arrived in Moscow and that they’d be granted asylum on “humanitarian grounds”.But if Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov used to be requested about Assad’s whereabouts and asylum declare by means of newshounds on Monday, he mentioned: “I’ve not anything to inform you… at the moment. In fact, this sort of choice [on granting asylum] can’t be made with out the pinnacle of state. It’s his choice.”The Assads’ ties to Russia, in particular Moscow, are well-documented.A 2019 investigation by means of the Monetary Instances discovered that Assad’s prolonged circle of relatives had bought no less than 18 luxurious flats within the Russian capital, in a bid to stay tens of tens of millions of bucks out of Syria right through the civil warfare.In the meantime, Assad’s eldest son, Hafez, is a PhD scholar within the town – with a neighborhood newspaper reporting simply ultimate week in regards to the 22-year-old’s doctoral dissertation.Amid the chaos on the weekend, Russian state TV reported that officers in Moscow had been in talks with “the Syrian armed opposition” to safe Russia’s bases and diplomatic missions.Who’re Assad’s spouse and kids?Assad is married to a twin British-Syrian nationwide, Asma, who used to be born and raised in west London to Syrian folks.She attended college and college in London prior to changing into an funding banker.Asma moved to Syria full-time in 2000 and married Assad across the time he succeeded his father as president.Dr Nesrin Alrefaai, a visiting fellow on the London Faculty of Economics and Political Science (LSE), instructed BBC Information that Asma “holds a British passport, so may just go back to the United Kingdom” as a substitute of final in Russia.”Then again, america [has] imposed sanctions on her father, Dr Fawaz al-Akhras, who may be reported to be in Russia,” she mentioned – suggesting Asma would possibly need to keep installed Moscow for now.In a file by means of the Mail On-line, neighbours had been quoted as announcing Asma’s father, a heart specialist, and mom Sahar, a retired diplomat, sought after to be in Moscow to “console” their daughter and son-in-law.Assad and his spouse have 3 youngsters: Hafez, the PhD scholar, Zein and Karim.
Getty ImagesSyrian President Hafez al-Assad and his spouse Anisa pose with their youngsters (L-R) Maher, Bashar, Bassel, Majd and Bushra for {a photograph} taken round 1990A 2022 US State Division report back to Congress mentioned the prolonged Assad circle of relatives’s internet price used to be between $1bn (£790m) and $2bn (£1.6bn) – despite the fact that it famous that it used to be tough to estimate as a result of their belongings are “believed to be unfold out and hid in a large number of accounts, actual property portfolios, companies, and offshore tax havens”.In keeping with the file, Bashar and Asma maintained “shut patronage relationships with Syria’s biggest financial avid gamers, the use of their corporations to launder cash from illicit actions and funnel finances to the regime”.It additionally mentioned that Asma had “affect over the commercial committee that manages Syria’s ongoing financial disaster” – and had made key choices on Syria’s “meals and gasoline subsidies, industry and foreign money problems”.She additionally exerted affect over the Syria Believe for Construction, during which maximum international help for reconstruction in regime-held spaces used to be channelled.In 2020, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged that Asma had “turn out to be considered one of Syria’s maximum infamous warfare profiteers” with the assistance of her husband and her circle of relatives.Every other senior Trump management legitimate described her because the “industry head of the circle of relatives” and an “oligarch” who were competing with Bashar’s cousin Rami Makhlouf.He’s considered one of Syria’s richest males and the circle of relatives rift turned into public wisdom after he posted movies on social media complaining about his remedy.May just Assad face prosecution?Following the autumn of the Assad dynasty, Amnesty Global’s secretary normal Agnès Callamard mentioned Syrians were subjected to what she referred to as “a frightening catalogue of human rights violations that brought about untold human struggling on an unlimited scale”.This contains “assaults with chemical guns, barrel bombs, and different warfare crimes, in addition to homicide, torture, enforced disappearance and extermination that quantity to crimes towards humanity”.She referred to as at the global neighborhood to make sure that other people suspected of breaking global legislation and different critical human rights violations will have to be investigated and prosecuted for his or her crimes.On Tuesday, the Islamist insurrection chief in Syria mentioned any of the ousted regime’s senior officers discovered to were concerned with torturing political prisoners could be named.Abu Mohammed al-Jolani additionally mentioned his so-called Syrian Salvation Executive would search to repatriate officers it recognized who fled to some other nation.In France, investigative judges have sought an arrest warrant for Assad for alleged complicity in crimes towards humanity and warfare crimes, in reference to a dangerous chemical assault in Syria in 2013 beneath the criminal idea of common jurisdiction.Russia does no longer extradite its personal nationals – a criminal procedure wherein anyone is returned to some other nation or state to stand trial for a suspected crime.Assad is not going to depart Russia to visit a rustic the place he might be extradited again to Syria or some other that would possibly rate him with a criminal offense.
