Princess Latifa Al Maktoum, one of the daughters of the Emir of Dubai, condemned in a series of videos broadcast by the British BBC, on Tuesday, that she was being held “as a hostage” in a village after trying to flee the country. 2018 and he feared for his life.
“I am recording this video from the bathroom, because it is the only room whose door I can lock (…) I am a hostage and this village has turned into a prison. Al Maktoum, 35, says in one of the videos: “All windows are closed with bars, and I cannot open any of them.
“Every day I worry for my safety and for my life. I don’t know if I will live in this situation.The princess maintains, confirming that five policemen are watching the palace from the outside, while two others remain inside.
The daughter of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai, the Vice President and Prime Minister, secretly recorded these messages “for several months.” But the communications “stopped”BBC warns.
And he asserts that some of his friends “are urging the United Nations to act.” Additionally, according to CountryThe British government has asked the UAE to prove that Princess Latifa is alive.
Try to escape
Latifa first attempted to leave Dubai when she was 16 years old, but she began plotting her most dangerous escape attempt in 2011, after remaining in contact with the French businessman. Herve JoubertAccording to the British Public Channel.
On February 24, 2018, the princess boarded a rubber dinghy with a bug Tina Jauhiainen, Who was their martial arts instructor, and sailed to international waters, where a yacht carrying an American flag awaited them.
Eight days later, off the coast of India, the ship was attacked by “commandos” who used smoke bombs, They aimed their guns at the two women and took Latifa, who has not yet been heard from, back to DubaiAccording to the story published by the BBC.
Sheikh in court
In 2019, tensions between the prince’s family reached British courts when he arrived Jordanian Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, The sixth wife of a millionaire president, she traveled to the UK and She asked for protection for herself and two of her children.
In the process, the High Court of England considered, among other facts, that the sheikh proved “Ordered and coordinated the forcible return of his daughter Latifa to the family home in Dubai” Twice, June 2002 and February 2018.
The verdict describes: “In 2002, the return was carried out from the Dubai border with Oman, while in 2018 it was carried out with armed commandos at sea near the coast of India.”
The judge also highlights that the prince is in August 2000 He organized the “kidnapping” of his daughter Shamsa To be transported from UK to Dubai.
According to British media, the 71-year-old president is married to six women and has fathered at least 30 children.
Amnesty International’s “grave concern”
Amnesty International expressed “grave concern” for Princess Latifa’s safety.
Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Lynn Maalouf, said in a statement that the released videos were “chilling” and urged the United Arab Emirates and Dubai to release Al Maktoum “immediately”.
Latifa may be held in a golden cage, but this does not change the fact that her deprivation of liberty is arbitrary and, given her prolonged nature, would amount to torture. Maalouf said that she was subjected to a series of human rights violations, including kidnapping, forcible return and solitary confinement for nearly three years. “.
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