Princess Latifa: Dubai ruler's imprisoned daughter looks pale in secret clip, says 'my life isn't in my hands'
The videos of Dubai ruler’s ‘imprisoned’ daughter Princess Latifa have been found in which she reportedly claimed she might not survive. She reportedly shared the secret videos with her friends and alleged that commandos were sent to imprison her after she escaped by boat. The commandos drugged her and took her back to detention in the United Arab Emirates.
Latifa’s videos sent to her friends were shared by BBC which showed her against a bathroom wall. She recorded her ordeal using a mobile phone. "I'm a hostage, I'm not free. I am prisoned in this jail. My life is not in my hands," she was heard saying. The Sun reported that Latifa attempted to flee Dubai with the help of her friend identified as Tiina Jauhiainen to start a new life abroad, but her plan drastically failed as she was caught by armed men on a yacht off the coast of India.
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“I have been here ever since, for more than a year in solitary confinement. No access to medical help, no trial, no charge, nothing... Every day I am worried about my safety and the police threaten me that I will never see the sun again. I am not safe here,” the princess said in the videos. However, her father Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum — who is one of the richest heads of state in the world — and the UAE have claimed Latifa is safe and sound living in the care of her family. But the BBC says the videos deliver a story opposite to the claims.
Regarding the cell phone which the princess has, reports stated that Tiina was contacted by someone nearly a year after Latifa’s detention, who helped her secretly contact her friend. It was Tiina who got the phone to Latifa, which she uses to record videos. She reportedly said that a villa has been transformed into jail with its windows completely closed. Tiina told BBC Panorama, “She is so pale, she hasn't seen sunlight for months. She can basically move just from her room to the kitchen and back." BBC has also verified the place where Latifa has reportedly been detained. It was found that the villa turned jail was guarded by at least 30 men, working on rotation, both inside and outside the villa. However, it was not known if the princess still lives there.
Ex-UN rights envoy Mary Robinson commented on Latifa’s situation and said, “I continue to be very worried about Latifa. Things have moved on. And so I think it should be investigated.” Earlier, the lawyers of Latifa urged the United Nations to take “decisive action” to protect her. In September 2020, leading human rights QC Rodney Dixon said in a submission to the UN Working group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID): “We are anxious to ensure that the UN takes all possible steps now to secure the safety, health, and release of [Princess Latifa].”
The lawyers reminded the UN that "this case has gone on for a considerable period of time while Princess Latifa remains in grave danger", before adding, “it is most concerning that despite the High Court judgment finding that Princess Latifa had been kidnapped, and worldwide calls for the urgent release of Latifa, she remains in captivity. Her fundamental human rights are being unjustifiably restricted and abused."
“The international community can no longer stand by. We are petitioning the UN Working Groups on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances and on Arbitrary Detention and other bodies to get access to her without delay and to ensure that she is released unharmed. It is vital more than ever now that the UN should take all necessary action to secure Latifa’s immediate release having been unlawfully held in the UAE for over two years."
