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Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s wife is reportedly critically ill with relapsed acute myeloid leukemia and has been isolated in Moscow to minimise infection risks.
Asma al-Assad (Photo: Reuters)
Asma al-Assad, wife of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is reportedly severely ill and has been isolated by her doctors, who have expressed she has a 50-50 chance of survival. According to a report with The Telegraph, no one is allowed to meet Asma to minimise the risk of an infection.
In May this year, months before Bashar al-Assad and his wife sought asylum in Russia’s Moscow, Syria’s presidency had announced that Asma had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow and the blood.
She had also been previously treated for breast cancer, and in August 2019, the presidency had announced that she was “completely” free of the disease after a year of treatment.
However, the report claims Asma’s leukaemia is believed to have reappeared after a period of remission.
It also suggested her father, Fawaz Akhras, has been caring for his daughter in Moscow and was described as “heartbroken” by sources in direct contact with her family.
Quoting a source who directly communicated with a representative of the family, The Telegraph stated, “Asma is dying”.
“She can’t be in the same room with anyone because of her condition,” the source added.
Another source, who has been in contact with the family in Moscow, was quoted as saying, “When leukaemia comes back, it’s vicious. She has been 50/50 in the last few weeks.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Monday rejected Turkish media reports which suggested that Asma wanted a divorce and to leave Russia.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also rejected Turkish media reports which suggested that Assad had been confined to Moscow and had his property assets frozen.
Earlier, Turkish and Arabic media reported that Asma had filed for divorce in Russia.