Following the publication of several videos allegedly recorded by the daughter of the Emir of Dubai, British Foreign Minister Dominic Rab asks Sheikha Latifah for a sign of life. Films published by the British broadcaster BBC were “shocking”, Rabab to Sky News said. He said that it was only human that people wanted to know if the princess was “alive and well”. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also “concerned”.
In video messages, the 35-year-old accused his father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rassid al-Maktoum, of holding him as a “hostage” since a failed escape nearly three years ago. For this, a villa in Dubai was “converted into a prison”. All windows are forbidden. She is constantly under surveillance and the police have told her that she will “never see the sun again”. Latifa said that she was afraid of her life.
“Overwhelmed and calm”
The BBC said it received recordings from supporters of the princess. The “Fee Latifa” campaign said it was capable of smuggling a smartphone into Latifah. With this, she sent her video messages that were generated in the last two years.
“People want to know if he is alive”: Great Britain’s Foreign Minister Dominic Rabb (archive image)
In one of the short films, Latifa reports on an escape attempt in 2018. On a boat she was overtaken and stabilized by a commando of the United Arab Emirates before arriving on the Indian coast. He only senses in Dubai.
“Extreme deception”
In April 2018, the Dubai government only stated that Sheikha Latifah had been “brought back” to her family and she was fine. He has not been publicly seen since. Months later, the Emirates government released photos of a meeting between Latifa and former United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson. She was later told that she was “very deceived” during her visit to Dubai.
A British court convicts Amir of Dubai for kidnapping Latifah in 2020
Following the broadcast of the latest video, the United Nations Commission for Human Rights announced that it would talk to the emirate about the fate of Sheikha Latifah. The British Foreign Secretary welcomed the announcement. Raab said his government would “closely monitor” UN actions.
A British court held the Amir of Dubai responsible for the kidnapping of Latifa and another daughter, Sheikha Shamsa, in March 2020. At the same time, Sheikh Mohammed found his sixth wife, Princess Haza bin al-Hussein, guilty of intimidation. This created an international outcry in the summer of 2019 when she fled to Great Britain with her eight and twelve year olds. Amir denied all the allegations. The city-state of Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirates; Sheikh Mohammed is its vice president and head of government.
jj / qu (dpa, afp, rtr)
