The United Nations human rights body is investigating recently released videos in which a daughter of Dubai’s ruler claims she is being held “hostage” – while the United Kingdom proved on Wednesday that she was still alive.
Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (35) used a phone smuggled to her in her ‘villa jail’ to beg for help in messages sent to the BBC after her supporters lost contact about six months ago .
“I am a hostage … I am worried about my safety and my life,” whispered Latifa, who is believed to be one of the 30 children that Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has with many women.
“I do not really know if I will survive this situation,” she said on Tuesday night in one of the clips broadcast by the BBC’s “Panorama”.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said it will step up these new developments with the UAE, where Sheikh Mohammed, 71, is serving as Prime Minister and Vice President.
“Other parts of the UN’s human rights system with appropriate mandates could also become involved once they have analyzed the new material or received specific allegations,” spokesman Rupert Colville told the BBC.
Marcus Essabri, one of Latifa’s cousins living in England, told the BBC that the videos had stopped about six months ago and that Latifa had not had a word since.
“I’re afraid they caught her on the phone and now I’m afraid for her safety,” he said.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the videos “Very disturbing” and asked that the princess be still alive.
“It is deeply disturbing and you can see a young woman who is deeply distressed,” Raab told ITV, supporting the UN inquiry.
“Given what we’ve just seen, I think people just want to see on a human level that she’s alive and well.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said his government will monitor the investigation. “This is obviously something we are concerned about, but the UN Commission on Human Rights is looking into it,” he said. ‘I think what we will do is wait and see how they go. We will keep an eye on it. ‘
Amnesty International called the videos “cold” and said it was “very concerned about her safety”.
Rodney Dixon, a lawyer for Sheikha Latifa in London, asked Dubai to ‘do the right thing’.
“Release the princess,” he said.
A support group, Free Latifa, said the princess had been held hostage by her father since she was captured trying to flee Dubai in 2018.
Before Tuesday, the only time she had been seen since she was brought back to Dubai was when her family released photos of her session with Mary Robinson, a former Irish president and high commissioner for human rights, at the end of 2018.
But Robinson told the BBC she was “horribly deceived” into posing for the photos, and did not ask Latifa about her fate because she was assured she had a mental illness.
Sheikh Mohammed and the Royal Court in Dubai said Latifa was safe in the loving care of her family. The UAE government’s Dubai Media Office did not respond to a request for comment, The Associated Press reported.
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