Asma al-Assad
First Lady of Syria (born 1975) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Asma Fawaz al-Assad (Arabic: أسماء فواز الأسد; née Akhras; born 11 August 1975) is the First Lady of Syria. Born and raised in London to Syrian parents, she is married to the 19th and current President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad.[1][2]
Asma al-Assad | |
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أسماء الأسد | |
First Lady of Syria | |
Assumed role 13 December 2000 | |
President | Bashar al-Assad |
Preceded by | Anisa Makhlouf |
Personal details | |
Born | Asma Fawaz Akhras (1975-08-11) 11 August 1975 (age 48) London, England |
Nationality |
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Spouse | |
Children |
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Parents |
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Alma mater | King's College London (BSc) |
Assad graduated from King's College London in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in computer science and French literature. She had a career in investment banking and was set to begin an MBA at Harvard University when she married Bashar al-Assad in December 2000. She resigned from her job in investment banking following the couple's wedding and remained in Syria, where their three children were born. As First Lady, she played a major role in implementing governmental organisations involved with social and economic development throughout the country as part of a reform initiative which was halted due to the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War.[3]
Along with her husband Bashar, Asma is considered to be one of the "main economic players" in Syria and controls large parts of Syrian business sectors, banking, telecommunications, real estate and maritime industries.[4] As a result of the ongoing Syrian Civil War, a conflict which began in March 2011, Assad is subject to economic sanctions relating to high-level Syrian government officials, making it illegal in the European Union (EU) to provide her with material and financial assistance, for her to obtain certain products, and curtailing her ability to travel within the EU.[5][6][7] In the UK, she is currently part of a preliminary inquiry within the War Crimes unit of the Metropolitan Police with allegations involving the "systematic approach to the torture and murder of civilians, including with the use of chemical weapons" and incitement of terrorist acts.[8]