LONDON – Thousands of emails purported to be have been downloaded from the
private accounts of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife show he took
advice from Iran on how to handle the uprising against his rule, joked about
promised reforms and bypassed sanctions to shop on iTunes, The Guardian reported
on Wednesday.
The newspaper said it received the more than 3,000 emails
from a member of the Syrian opposition who it does not identify. The documents
are said to have been hacked and leaked by members of the Supreme Council of the
Revolution between June and early February.
The emails paint a picture of
a ruling family that seems far removed from a rebellion that has brutally killed
more than 8,000 Syrians. According to the Guardian, the Syrian first lady, Asma
Assad, spent tens of thousands of dollars buying luxury goods online, including
gold jewelery laden with gems, chandeliers, silver candlesticks and
furniture.
The purported emails also offer insight into the president’s
inner circle. According to the Guardian, the emails show that Assad received
advice from Iran. Ahead of a speech in December, Assad’s media consultant said
his advice to the president was based on “consultations with a good number of
people in addition to the media and political adviser for the Iranian
ambassador.”
The memo advised Assad to use “powerful and violent”
language and encouraged the regime to “leak more information related to our
military capability.”
The emails also allegedly show the Syrian despot
was briefed in detail about the presence of Western journalists in the
rebel-held Baba Amr district of Homs, and he was urged to “tighten the security
grip” there. Several foreign journalists were among the hundreds of people
killed in Homs in the past year.
The Guardian said it believes the emails
are genuine, saying the cache includes details that, it said, “would be
difficult for even the best-resourced hoaxer or intelligence agency to gather or
fabricate.” However, the Guardian acknowledged the possibility that there are
fake emails in the cache.
The trove of quoted messages suggests a loving
relationship between the president and first lady.
In one email, Asma
Assad informs her husband she will be done at 5 p.m. The Syrian leader responds
by making light of the changes he has promised in Syria, saying: “This is the
best reform any country can have that u [sic] told me where will you be, we are
going to adopt it instead of the rubbish laws of parties, elections,
media...”
According to the Guardian, Assad bypassed sanctions by
registering his iTunes account in another name using a New York
address.
On February 5, he sent his wife an iTunes file of US country
star Blake Shelton singing “God Gave Me You.”
Other reported downloads
include Walter Isaacson’s biography of Apple founder Steve Jobs and songs
including “Don’t Talk Just Kiss” by Right Said Fred, “Bizarre Love Triangle” by
New Order and “Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO.