Events in Venezuela have caused a great resonance in world politics: as a result of a military operation conducted by the US army on January 3, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were arrested. Currently, the ex-president and his wife, who are being held in America, have been brought before the court, and they have been charged with 4 counts.
Cilia Flores was born in Venezuela in 1956, is a lawyer by profession, and has played an active role in the country's politics for a long time. She served as Speaker of Parliament from 2006-2011 and as Prosecutor General from 2012-2013, and has held the status of “First Lady” during her husband's presidency since 2013.
Cilia Flores built a professional career as a lawyer and also became one of the main political figures by serving in leadership positions in state institutions. She was a recognized figure in the political arena even before her marriage to Nicolas Maduro and has been at the center of political life as her husband's partner since the 1990s.
Now, S. Flores, along with her husband, is answering before the US justice system, and this has become a current political and legal process that attracts the attention of the world community.
Nicolas Maduro is not the first leader overthrown by the United States. Throughout history, there have been several instances where US special services and military forces have detained and extradited foreign heads of state. In such cases, the fate of the wives of overthrown leaders also arouses interest.
Modern.az website has investigated the fate of the wives of overthrown dictators in several countries.
When US forces captured Iraqi President Saddam Hussein near the city of Tikrit on December 13, 2003, his wife Sajida Khairallah Talfah was not in the country.
According to information from official and open sources, Sajida Talfah left the country shortly after the US military intervention in Iraq. She lived in Jordan and later in Qatar during Saddam Hussein's detention and was never captured by US forces. In subsequent years, she reportedly received political asylum in Qatar.
It should be noted that Sajida Khairallah Talfah was the daughter of Saddam Hussein's uncle Khairallah Talfah and married him in 1958. Five children were born from this marriage: Uday, Qusay, Rana, Raghad, and Hala.
According to official information, Sajida Talfah did not hold any official position in Iraqi state structures. Her activities were mainly protocol-based within the framework of her “First Lady” status, limited to symbolic participation in social and charitable events. She was not recognized as an open or formal participant in political decision-making and did not engage in public-political activities after 2003.
During the period when Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011, his wife Safia Farkash was not with him.
According to information from official and international sources, after the capital Tripoli came under the control of opposition forces in August 2011, Safia Farkash fled to Algeria with several of Gaddafi's children.
The Algerian government officially confirmed at that time that it had granted temporary asylum to members of the Gaddafi family on humanitarian grounds.
It is noted that when Muammar Gaddafi was killed near the city of Sirte on October 20, 2011, his wife was already in a safe area in Algeria.
Safia Farkash was born in Libya in 1952, received medical education, and worked as a nurse in her youth. She married Muammar Gaddafi in 1970, and they had 7 children from this marriage.
When Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega was captured by US forces in December 1989, his wife Felicidad Noriega was in the country.
According to information from official and open sources, when Manuel Noriega was detained, his wife was not captured by US military personnel and was not a direct target of military operations. She remained in Panama in the subsequent period, leading a private life, away from public and political activities.
Felicidad Noriega worked as a psychologist in the Panamanian Defense Forces for many years and rose to the rank of colonel. She was known as a first lady who rarely appeared in public during Manuel Noriega's rule and did not take an open role in political processes.
When Serbian President Slobodan Milošević was detained in Belgrade in April 2001, his wife Mira Marković was in the country. Official sources state that Marković did not leave the country during Milošević's capture, and the operation was not directly applied to her.
Mira Marković was a highly educated sociologist and worked as a lecturer at the University of Belgrade for many years. She was known as the founder and leader of the Yugoslav Left Party (JUL), which was close to power during the Yugoslav era. Despite not holding an official state position, she was considered one of the key figures influencing ideological processes and the formation of political decisions during Milošević's rule.
It should be noted that after Milošević's extradition to the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, several criminal cases were opened against Mira Marković in Serbia, after which she moved to Russia and received political asylum. In subsequent years, her public and political activities diminished, and she led a life away from the media.
When Jean-Bertrand Aristide was overthrown from power and left Haiti in 2004, his wife Mildred Aristide was also with him. According to official information, after the coup, the Aristide family first went to the Central African Republic, and then to South Africa, where they lived in exile for a long time.
According to information, Mildred Aristide is a professional lawyer, has worked in the legal field in Haiti and abroad, and has also been active in human rights and social issues. She did not hold an official state position during Jean-Bertrand Aristide's presidency but supported educational and social projects within the framework of her “First Lady” status. In subsequent years, she was also known for her public speeches and stance on social issues.
During the military coup in Chile on September 11, 1973, President Salvador Allende's wife Hortensia Bussi de Allende was in the country. Official sources state that Hortensia Bussi was not directly at the scene during the coup led by General Augusto Pinochet and the attack on the presidential palace “La Moneda”, but she was forced to leave Chile in the first days of the coup.
According to information, after the coup, Hortensia Bussi first went to Mexico, and then to Cuba, living in exile for many years. After her husband's death, she became known as one of the main figures who brought to light human rights violations that occurred during the military dictatorship in Chile on international platforms.
It should be noted that Hortensia Bussi was a teacher by profession. During Salvador Allende's presidency, she did not hold an official state position but supported initiatives related to social justice, women's rights, and low-income families within the framework of her “First Lady” status. After 1973, she primarily acted as a political exile, becoming one of the symbolic figures of Allende's legacy and the struggle for democracy in Chile.
Farah Pahlavi is the 3rd wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. She is the only woman among the Shah's wives to have received the title of “Shahbanu”.
Unlike the Shah's previous two wives, Farah Pahlavi was able to give birth to an heir (a son).
Among the Shah's three wives, only she had a coronation ceremony (1967), and she was given the title “Shahbanu”. The wedding of 21-year-old Farah and 40-year-old Mohammad Reza Pahlavi took place on December 21, 1959. They had four children from this marriage: Reza Cyrus Pahlavi (1960), Farahnaz Pahlavi (1963), Ali Reza Pahlavi (1966), Leila Pahlavi (1970).
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the Shahanshah of Iran from September 16, 1941, until February 11, 1979. In 1979, the monarchy in Iran was abolished, the Shah's rule was overthrown as a result of the revolution, and the Islamic Republic of Iran was declared.
Consequently, the royal family left their homeland, went into exile, and sought asylum in Egypt. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi died of cancer on July 27, 1980, at the age of 60, in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. He was buried in the Al-Rifa'i Mosque.
After the Shah's death, the Egyptian president allocated a palace for the Pahlavi family to live in. However, due to the assassination of the Egyptian president, Farah Pahlavi and her family left the country and traveled across the ocean at the invitation of US head of state Reagan.
In 2001, Farah Pahlavi's daughter, Princess Leila, passed away in the USA.
In 2011, another misfortune befell the family. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's youngest son, Ali Reza Pahlavi, committed suicide by shooting himself.
Today, Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi lives in Washington. Her eldest son, Reza Pahlavi, is also in Washington with his family. A part of the Iranian exiles calls him "prince". After his father's death, Reza Cyrus Pahlavi took this title as heir. Iranians in exile still address Farah Pahlavi as “Shahbanu”.
The Pahlavi family currently holds the status of an "undesirable family" in Iran.
