The British Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has said that Asma al-Assad, the wife of deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, cannot return to the United Kingdom.
Asma was born and raised in the United Kingdom. She is a dual British-Syrian citizen and lived in the UK before moving to Syria after marriage to Assad.
The clarification from the British PMO came amid reports in Arabic and Turkish media that Asma wants to return to the UK after divorcing her husband. Russia, where the Assad family is currently living, has rejected the claim that Asma has filed for divorce.
British newspaper i reported the PMO as saying that Asma remains a “sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK”.
Asma has been sanctioned over role in the war crimes of her family’s regime. She has been handed a travel ban and a seizure of her assets in the UK.
When asked about Asma, the PMO referred the i to Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s statement earlier this month in which he said she remains “a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK”.
The PMO further said that all sanctions remain in place on the Assad family.
“I think we have always said that we don’t comment on individuals in relation to this, but more broadly you will have seen that we have very tough sanctions in place against the Assad family and the former regime, which remain in place,” said the PMO to the newspaper.
Days after the collapse of Assad regime in Syria, Lammy told the House of Commons on December 9: “I have seen it mentioned in the past few days that Asma al-Assad, as someone with UK citizenship, might attempt to come to our country. I confirm that she is a sanctioned individual and is not welcome here in the UK.”
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