Asma al-Assad, the former 'First Lady of Hell' in Syria

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator and his family had to flee to Russia. Asma al-Assad, his wife, was by the unpopular ex-leader's side. Who is this woman, who once worked for Deutsche Bank and then married into an authoritarian family?

Asma, who has not left her husband's side since her marriage to Bashar in 2000, was born in London as Asma Fawwaz al-Achras and trained in computer science and French literature at King's College.

Before she became known as the First Lady of Syria, she was an investment banker at Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan.

Asma has three children with her husband: Hafez, Karim and Zein. She was originally portrayed in the media as a modern face and progressive force within Syria, a kind of beacon of hope who could reform the country.

However, this perception changed radically with the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. Suddenly she was no longer a friend of the people and the media portrayed her completely differently.

The main point of criticism was and is her lifestyle. A life of luxury that she has not changed despite the increasing international isolation of the Assad regime and the serious accusations against her husband for human rights violations and the use of chemical weapons against his own people.

Her portrayal in the media changed from the ‘Rose of the Desert’ to a ‘First Lady of Hell’, a term published by The Telegraph in August 2012.

But Asma also had to fight, in her private life. She has been through two bouts of cancer. Once in 2018 and then again in 2023. She said publicly that she planned to fight the disease with ‘strong will and God's help’.

For Asma, the end of the Assad regime is the end of a life of luxury. A life of uncertainty and asylum now begins.

Her story brings to life just how political figures often take contradictory and complex paths, especially when personal and public lives are so closely intertwined.

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