Leukemia diagnosis

Wife of Syria’s dictator diagnosed with cancer again

Asma al-Assad grew up in London and met her husband, the future dictator of Syria, during her studies.

(Bild: AFP/MIGUEL MEDINA)

Only a few years after recovering from breast cancer, the wife of Syria's ruler, Asma al-Assad, has now also been diagnosed with leukemia. The diagnosis was made after the onset of symptoms and several tests and examinations, the president's office announced.

 

Asma al-Assad was medically examined after showing several signs and symptoms of the disease, it said on Tuesday. The 48-year-old will be isolated and undergo treatment, during which she will also have to keep her distance from other people.

Aggressive cancer
Acute myeloid leukemia, which Asma al-Assad is said to be suffering from, is an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow and blood. As recently as 2019, Asma al-Assad declared that she had fully recovered from breast cancer.

Last year, she accompanied her husband on an official trip to the United Arab Emirates - her first publicized trip of this kind since 2011.

The mother of three children and former investment banker was born in London in 1975 to Syrian parents. The media repeatedly asked why she had not left Syria because of the civil war from 2011 and her husband's policies. President Assad is accused of war crimes such as the use of poison gas and torture.