The UN has asked the United Arab Emirates for proof that the daughter of the ruler of Dubai is still alive, after the secret messages she recorded this week were released, claiming that she is being held in captivity after the failure of an attempt to emirate to escape in 2018.
A spokeswoman for Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Friday that the UN “expressed our concern over the situation, in the light of the disturbing videos that appeared this week. We have more information and explanation regarding the current situation. ”
She added: “We asked for proof of life.”
Concerns over the fate of Sheikha Latifa, bint Mohammed al-Maktoum (35), have resurfaced this week after several newspapers published new videos which she said recorded in the bathroom of a beach villa converted into a prison .
She claims she was locked up in the house after an escape attempt three years ago in which she crossed into neighboring Oman and took a jet ski to a yacht in international waters. With two friends, she manages to reach the west coast of India before discovering that she is being tracked down by another vessel and spotted by the Indian Coast Guard.
After eight days at sea, the ship was attacked by Indian commandos who handed her over to the UAE security forces in an operation approved by her father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, according to a 2020 ruling by a British court.
Latifa has not been seen since, apart from official photos released by the UAE’s foreign ministry, in which she ate with Mary Robinson, a former Irish president. Robinson told the BBC this week that she was “terribly deceived” into standing up for Latifa’s well-being in public.
“All the windows are closed,” the princess said in the latest footage. ‘There are five policemen outside and two policemen in the house. And I can not even go outside to get fresh air.
‘I make this video from a bathroom because it’s the only room with a door I can lock. I’m a hostage. I’m not free. I’m addicted to this jail. My life is not in my hands. ”
According to her friends, nothing has been heard from her for six months.
Sheikh Mohammed said his daughter – the second of his children who tried to escape – is in the loving care of her family.
His youngest wife, Princess Haya, also feared Dubai for fear for her life after claiming she had a campaign of intimidation and harassment. In a ruling in the UK in 2020, it was found that her claims on the balance of probabilities were true.
Boris Johnson said this week he was concerned about Latifa, while Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said he would like to see a sign that she is ‘alive and well’.