An aunt of President Assad of Syria has been allowed to stay permanently in Britain, 12 years after arriving on an investor’s visa. Her two sons have also been given the right to live indefinitely in the UK. None can be named for legal reasons, but according to the judgment by an appeals commission the woman is understood to be the fourth polygamous wife of Rifaat al-Assad. He is known as the Butcher of Hama because of his role as commanding officer during a massacre in the city of Hama when 40,000 people are said to have died in 1982. Rifaat, 81, the president’s uncle, lived in exile in France and Spain after a failed coup against his brother and the president’s father, Hafez al-Assad,…

Source: The Times January 03, 2019 00:00 UTC