Several NGOs have called on the UN to take up the case of Princess Latifa, daughter of the Emir of Dubai, who claimed to be held "
hostage
" and feared for her life, in videos released this week by British media .
Read also: Dubai: the secret story of a princess' missed escape
The 35-year-old princess, daughter of Mohammed ben Rached al-Maktoum, ruler of the Emirate of Dubai and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, claimed in a video in 2018 that she tried to escape by boat from the wealthy city-state of the Gulf, before being escorted there
manu militari.
In this video, she says she was “
tortured
” and “
imprisoned for three years
” by her father after a first escape attempt in 2002. “
We just hope that the UN will demand her release in a clear and complete manner and not just proof of life,
”Hiba Zayadin, Gulf researcher at Human Rights Watch, told AFP on Wednesday (February 17th).
“
We do not know what the situation of Sheikha Latifa is at the moment.
The videos recently broadcast by the BBC have not made it possible to verify when or where they were made,
”she added.
According to the BBC, the videos were filmed about a year after his escape attempt.
Relatives of the princess, who say they have not heard from her for several months, have handed over to the BBC and Sky News these videos in which she says she is locked in a "
villa transformed into a prison
".
Michelle Bachelet, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the BBC that she would question the Emirates on the fate of the princess.
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab on Wednesday asked for proof of life, speaking on Sky News of a "
very difficult
" and "
worrying
" case.
Amnesty International called on "
the international community to pay attention to Sheikha Latifa's appeals for help
."
“
The content of the videos is frightening and we are extremely concerned for his safety,
” said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.
She "
may be held in a" golden cage "but that does not change the fact that her deprivation of liberty is arbitrary,
" she denounced in a statement.
NGOs regularly accuse the Emirates, a wealthy Gulf state close to Western countries, of violating human rights and suppressing critical voices.
