Asma al-Assad, the British wife of Syria’s ruler, Bashar al-Assad, could lose her UK citizenship as she faces possible terrorism. The police in the United Kingdom opened a preliminary investigation into claims she has incited, aided and encouraged war crimes by Syrian government forces. If convicted, she could lose her citizenship.
A series of legal complaints that her public appearances and speeches in support of the Syrian army implicate her, led to the investigation of the 45-year-old First Lady of Syria who was raised by Syrian immigrants in London. Her speeches and actions glorifying the army are said to have incited the military to use chemical weapons and other lethal weapons that cause over half a million deaths. Over the years, the civil war in Syria has displaced 11 million people.
The UN has deduced the use of chemical weapons by Assad’s regime against civilians.
“The evidence compiled, in our view, legally speaking, far exceeds what may be considered reasonable comment or mere propaganda and amount to the incitement, encourage and/or aiding and abetting of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Toby Cadman, the joint head of chambers at Guernica 37, a conflict-focused international justice law firm told The Guardian.
The case against Asma al-Assad was on basis of legal filings by Guernica 37, which quote speeches by Asma al-Assad where she lauds mothers of slain Syrian soldiers. interviews of her, where she is seen declaring support to her husband and glorified soldiers for defending the homeland are also mentioned. Syrian troops started killing demonstrators when protests broke out in 2011 as a result of insurgencies by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, corruption in the government and unemployment among other reasons.
Cadman also said that Guernica 37 wanted Asma al-Assad to face trial.