Known for role in brutal suppression in the 1980s, the former Defence Brigades head has died after a brief illness Assad family live in Russian luxury as Bashar ‘brushes up on ophthalmology’ Known for role in brutal suppression in the 1980s, the former Defence Brigades head has died after a brief illness Assad family live in Russian luxury as Bashar ‘brushes up on ophthalmology’ Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of the deposed Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad and dubbed the “Butcher of Hama” for