UN Experts Tell UAE To Release Dubai's Princess Latifa

UN experts tell UAE to release Dubai's Princess Latifa after two months of the BBC video of her being held hostage comes out. Know more.

Latifa Al Maktoum is the 35-year-old daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Prince Latifa was born to the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, and Houria Ahmed Lamara, one of Sheikh’s six wives. Princess Latifa released a video through her lawyer where she claimed that she was assaulted, brutally beaten, and tortured for days. The videos of Princess Latifa were resurfaced by BBC in their show called 'Panorama'. Princess Latifa was found in Goa, India after an operation by special forces. She tried escaping her father but was taken back to Dubai.

The Story So Far

Princess Latifa had also tried to escape the clutches of her father but was caught in the year 2002. Similarly, her sister Sheikha Shamsa was also abducted in the same way by her father in the year 2000. The media and human rights organisations have raised their voice against the unlawful capture of the princess.

UN Joint Statement

The independent human rights experts at UN said in a joint statement, "We are alarmed that, following the public release in February of footage in which Sheikha Latifa reported being deprived of her liberty against her will, and the subsequent official request for further information on her situation, no concrete information has been provided by the authorities."

Further, the UN investigators on torture and on violence against women added that the statement issued by the Emirates authorities merely indicates that Princess Latifa was being cared for at home. They said that this is not sufficient at this stage.

The joint statement said the experts called “for independent verification of the conditions under which she is being held, and for her immediate release”. The authorities of the UAE did not respond to their request for comment immediately.