Princess Latifa: Dubai Ruler's Daughter 'Hostage' and Her Trial Revealed

PRINCESS LATIFA

A photo taken from Princess Latifa's video message

The daughter of the ruler of Dubai, who tried to flee the country in 2018, told her friends in secret video messages that her life was in danger because, according to her, her father had taken her "hostage".

In a footage shared with BBC Panorama, Princess Latifa al-Maktoum said that when she escaped by boat, the commandos gave her drugs and brought her back.

Secret messages have now stopped and his friends are now urging the United Nations to intervene.

Dubai and the United Arab Emirates have previously said they (the princess) are safe with their families.

A photo of Sheikha Latifa before her escape attempt in 2018

Former UN human rights envoy Marie Robinson, who described Latifa as a "troubled young woman" after meeting her in 2018, now says the princess's family betrayed her.

The former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the former president of Ireland have called for Latifa's current condition and for international action to find out.

"I would be very worried about Latifa," he said. Things have moved on. And that's why I think it should be investigated. "

Latifa's father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, is one of the richest rulers in the world, as well as the ruler of Dubai and vice president of the United Arab Emirates.

The videos were recorded over several months on a phone that was secretly given to Latifa a year after her arrest and return to Dubai. She recorded the messages in her bathroom because it was the only place she could lock the door.

In the messages, he described how:

• They fought the soldiers as they were being unloaded from the boat, kicked them, and cut off the arm of an Emirati commando who screamed.

 After being given anesthesia, they were taken in a private jet and did not get up until the plane landed in Dubai.

* They were being held alone, without access to medical or legal assistance, in a villa with locked doors and windows and a police guard outside.

*

GETTY IMAGES

Tina Johanin helped the princess escape

* The story of Sheikha Latifa's capture and detention was told by Panorama by a close friend of hers, Tina Johann, a cousin Marcus Esbari and an activist, David Haye. All of these people are running a 'free joke' campaign.

He said he made the difficult decision to release the video messages after concerns over Latifa's safety.

* These are the same people who were able to contact Latifa in Dubai's Villa, where, according to them, there are fences on the windows and a police guard.

* Sheikh Mohammed has built a very successful city, but human rights activists say there is no room for dissent and the judiciary can discriminate against women.

* Sheikh Mohammad is very keen on horse racing and is definitely involved in important events like the Royal Escort, here he is seen in a picture with Queen Elizabeth II.

PA MEDIA

* Sheikh Mohammed with Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain in 2019

• But he is facing a lot of criticism because of Princess Latifa and her stepmother, Princess Haya bint Al-Hussein, who fled to London in 2019 with her two children.

* Escape in the boat

Latifa, now 35, first tried to flee at the age of 16, but later escaped in 2011 after contacting a French businessman, Arroyo Jobier. Could The escape was aided by Tina Johannon, a former martial arts teacher.

* On February 24, 2018, Latifa and Tina Johannin took a dinghy and reached an American flagged boat parked at the international border where Jobir was waiting for them.

• But eight days later, commandos arrived on a boat off the coast of India. Tina Johanin says smoke grenades forced her and Latifa out, which was hidden in a bathroom under the deck of the boat, and guns were fired at them.

Latifa was later taken to Dubai and has not spoken to her since.

John and the boat's crew were released after being held in Dubai for two weeks. The Indian government has never commented on its role in the operation.

PRINCESS LATIFA

Latifa's video message was released in 2018 after her escape attempt

* Message from Sheikha Latifa

* Sheikha Latifa recorded another video message before her escape attempt in 2018, which was posted on YouTube after she was caught. "It's not a good thing if you're watching this video, either I'm dead or I'm in a very difficult situation," she says.

* This message caused international concern about him and the demand for his release gained momentum. The United Arab Emirates put a lot of pressure on him and arranged a meeting with Robinson.

* Meeting with Robinson

* Marie Robinson came to Dubai in December 2018 at the request of her friend Princess Haya, who also had a joke at lunch.

* Robinson told Panorama that he and Princess Haya had been told earlier that Latifa had bipolar disorder, which she did not have.

• Robinson says he didn't ask Latifa anything about her condition because she didn't want to There was an increase in their mental stress.

 Nine days after lunch, the UAE Foreign Ministry released photos of Latifa with Mary Robinson, saying they were proof that the princess was safe and well.

 Robinson says, "When the pictures were made public, I was particularly moved. That was a complete surprise ... I was stunned. "

* Tensions in Dubai's ruling family erupted in 2019 when Princess Haya, a wife of the Sheikh, who fled to the UK with her two children, filed a petition in the UK High Court seeking protection against the Sheikh. Of

 Last year, the High Court said in a series of rulings that Sheikh Mohammed had ordered Latifa to be taken back against her will in 2002 and 2018, and in 2000 his older sister, Princess Shamsa, had been illegally abducted from the UK. His sister also tried to flee.

• The court had said that Sheikh Mohammed had "created conditions where these two young women have been deprived of their freedom".

Latifa's friends hoped that there might be some benefit after the court's decision in March last year, in which Sheikh Mohammed was told that "he did not tell the whole truth before the court."

On the decision to release the messages now, Johannin says that "a lot of time has passed since the disconnection.

She says she has now thought carefully before releasing the video. "I feel that they want us to continue fighting for them and not give up," he added.

GETTY IMAGES