Bassel al-Assad بَاسِلُ ٱلْأَسَدِ | |
---|---|
Native name | بَاسِلُ ٱلْأَسَدِ |
Nickname(s) | The Golden Knight |
Born | 23 March 1962 Damascus, Syria |
Died | 21 January 1994 Damascus, Syria | (aged 31)
Allegiance | Syria |
Service/ | Syrian Arab Army |
Years of service | 1980–1994 |
Rank | Colonel |
Unit |
2nd Special Forces Regiment, 14th Airborne Division Republican Guard |
Commands held | 42nd Special Forces Regiment 12th Armoured Battalion, Syrian Arab Republican Guard. |
Awards | Hero of the Republic Order of Salahaddin |
Relations | al-Assad family |
Bassel al-Assad ( Arabic: بَاسِلُ ٱلْأَسَدِ, romanized: Bāsil al-ʾAsad; 23 March 1962 – 21 January 1994) was a Syrian engineer, colonel, equestrian and politician who was the eldest son of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and the older brother of (later) President Bashar al-Assad. It was widely expected that he would succeed his father as President of Syria until he died in a car accident in 1994. [1]
Bassel al-Assad was born on 23 March 1962. [2] He was trained as a civil engineer, and he held a PhD in military sciences. [3] [4] He said about his childhood:
We saw father at home but he was so busy that three days could go by without us exchanging a word with him. We never had breakfast or dinner together, and I don't remember ever having lunch together as a family, or maybe we only did once or twice when state affairs were involved. As a family, we used to spend a day or two in Lattakia in the summer, but then too he used to work in the office and we didn't get to see much of him. [5]
Trained in parachuting, he was commissioned in the Special Forces and later switched to the armoured corps after training in the Soviet Military Academies. [4] He rapidly progressed through the ranks, becoming a major and then commander of a brigade in the Republican Guard. [6] [7]
After his father recovered from a serious illness in 1984, Bassel began to accompany him and he emerged on the national scene in 1987, when he won several equestrian medals at a regional tournament. [8] [7] The Ba'ath Party press in Syria eulogised him as the "Golden Knight" because of his prowess on horseback. [9] He also had a reputation for an interest in fast cars, and his friends described him as charismatic and commanding. [10] [11] Assad was soon appointed Head of Presidential Security. [12] [13] In addition, he launched the Syrian Computer Society in 1989, which was later headed by Bashar. [14]
Originally Assad's uncle, Rifaat al-Assad, was Hafez's chosen successor but Rifaat attempted to usurp power from Hafez while the latter was in a coma in 1984. This led to Rifaat's exile. [4] Following the incident, Bassel was groomed to succeed his father. [15] [16] Hafez's efforts intensified to make Bassel the next President of Syria in the early 1990s; [4] after Hafez's election victory in 1991, the President was publicly referred to as "Abu Basil" (Father of Bassel). [17] Assad was also being introduced to European and Arab leaders; he was a close friend of the children of King Hussein of Jordan, especially Haya bint Hussein who also enjoyed equestrianism, [18] and had been also introduced to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. [9]
Assad had a significant role in Lebanese affairs, and was known to Lebanese leaders of all sects.[ citation needed] He organised a highly publicised anti-corruption campaign within the government and frequently appeared in full military uniform at official receptions to signal the government's commitment to the armed forces. [10]
Aside from his native Arabic, Bassel is said to have spoken French and Russian fluently. [9] According to leaked United States diplomatic cables, he had a relationship with a Lebanese woman, Siham Asseily [19] who later married Lebanese journalist and deputy Gebran Tueni.[ citation needed]
His older sister, Bushra, could not marry Assef Shawkat until his death, as he rejected that marriage.[ citation needed]
On 21 January 1994, while he was driving his luxury Mercedes at a high speed (author Paul Theroux reports Bassel was driving at 240 kilometers per hour (150 mph) through fog to Damascus International Airport for a privately chartered flight to Frankfurt, Germany, on his way to a ski vacation in the Alps in the early hours of the morning), [20] [21] [22] Bassel collided with a barrier and, not wearing a seatbelt, died instantly. [10] [23] Hafez Makhlouf was with him and was hospitalized with injuries after the accident, and a chauffeur in the back seat was unhurt. [23] [10]
Assad's body was taken to Al Assad University Hospital and then buried in Qardaha, where his father's body was also later buried. [21] [24]
After his death, shops, schools and public offices in Syria closed, and the sale of alcohol was suspended in respect. [7] He was elevated by the state into "the martyr of the country, the martyr of the nation and the symbol for its youth". [7]
A great number of squares and streets were named after him. The new international swimming complex, various hospitals, sporting clubs and a military academy were named after him. The international airport in Latakia was named after him, Bassel Al-Assad International Airport. His statue is found in several Syrian cities, and even after his death, he is often pictured on billboards with his father and brother. [7] He also has an equestrian statue in Aleppo, [25] and formerly in Chtaura, Lebanon. [26]
On 17 November 2020, a museum dedicated to him was inaugurated at the Latakia Sports City. [27]
Bassel Assad's death led to his lesser-known brother Bashar al-Assad, who was then undertaking postgraduate training in ophthalmology in London, assuming the mantle of president-in-waiting. Bashar became President following the death of his father, on 10 June 2000. [28] [29]