Fawas Akhras (Arabic: فواز أخرس; born September 1946) is a Syrian–English cardiologist known for being the father-in-law of Bashar al-Assad and chairman of the British Syrian Society.
Biography
Akhras qualified in medicine in 1973.
Akhras has been described as "a key figure in liaison between the Syrian and British governments". He is the founder of the British Syrian Society and is involved with a number of Syrian causes.
He was a consultant interventional cardiologist at the Cromwell Hospital in South Kensington but the hospital no longer lists him on their website, London, and practises at his private medical clinic, Cardiac Healthcare Services, in Harley Street, London. He lives in Acton, London, and is married to former diplomat Sahar Otri al-Akhras. Their daughter, Asma, married then Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in 2000.
It was reported before the Syrian civil war that Akhras had influence on the Syrian president in domestic affairs. On 15 March 2012, The Guardian published allegedly intercepted emails appearing to show that he was advising the Syrian president from the UK during the crackdown on anti-regime protesters. According to The Guardian, Akhras used a private email channel to the Syrian president offering advice on how his government should spin its suppression of the uprising, including how best to rebut apparent video footage of Syrian forces torturing children. Speaking to The Telegraph in 2012, Akhras drew comparisons between the start of the Syrian civil war and the 2011 England riots. On 9 December 2024, the day after the fall of the Assad regime, Akhras was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for providing "support and facilitation to Bashar al-Assad in financial matters, sanctions evasion, and efforts to secure international political engagement."
References
- Fletcher, Martin (1 June 2012). "Bashar al-Assad's father-in-law Fawaz Akhras can't hide on Houla". The Australian. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ^ Andrew Gilligan "Syria: Assad's father-in-law compares Syrian uprising to London riots" Telegraph 15 March 2012
- "Dr Fawaz Akhras, Consultant Cardiologist". Bupa Cromwell Hospital. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018.
- Black, Ian (27 April 2011). "Bashar al-Assad's UK gatekeeper 'only wants to build bridges'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2017 – via www.theguardian.com.
- "Dr. Fawaz Akhras". Fawazakhras.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- Bar, Shmuel (2006). "Bashar's Syria: The Regime and its Strategic Worldview" (PDF). Comparative Strategy. 25 (5): 381. doi:10.1080/01495930601105412. S2CID 154739379. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ Robert Booth (15 March 2012). "Assad emails: father-in-law gave advice from UK during crackdown". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
- "US Sanctions Syrian Leader Assad's Father-in-law". Barron's. 9 December 2024.