Case of Sheikh Mohammed's abducted daughters, missing wife continues

The case of Sheikh Mohammed's abducted daughters continue, as Princess Latifa's silence prompts the UN to investigate further. Picture: Screengrab.

The case of Sheikh Mohammed's abducted daughters continue, as Princess Latifa's silence prompts the UN to investigate further. Picture: Screengrab.

Published Apr 11, 2021

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Cape Town - The United Nations has confirmed that the United Arab Emirates has not established that Princess Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, Dubai's ruler's missing daughter, is alive.

Sheikha Latifa, a 35-year-old Princess, is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the hereditary ruler of Dubai who also serves as the UAE's Prime Minister and Vice President.

In 2002 and 2018, Latifa reportedly attempted but failed to escape her father's family.

In 2018, Latifa was reportedly arrested off India's coast after attempting to escape Dubai on a yacht. Latfia fled to neighbouring Oman with two friends and took a jetski into international waters. She made it to India's west coast before the coastguard spotted her, leading to her detainment.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday said that they had requested "proof of existence" for the princess from the UAE but had not obtained it, according to CNN.

"We haven't got any proof of life, and we would like one. One that is clear, compelling evidence that she's alive,” said OHCHR spokeswoman Marta Hurtado.

Hurtado said that senior UN officials had requested a meeting with the UAE Ambassador in Geneva to discuss Latifa, but said that no action or contact had been made.

Friends of the princess expressed concern for her welfare, claiming that she has not been heard from in six months.

Elizabeth Throssell, a spokeswoman for the UN rights office, told reporters that the UN human rights office routinely inquires into particular cases that fall under its protocol.

"That includes cases for whatever reason that have attracted wider focus," Throssell said.

Latifa had sent a letter to the UK police in late February, which CNN obtained, requesting that they investigated her older sister's abduction from Britain in 2000.

Hurtado stated that her office would "raise the case of Latifa's sister, Shamsa, to ask about their whereabouts".

"We are very concerned about both cases because we don't know what is happening," Hurtado said.

Latifa's older sister Princess Sheikha Shamsa was reportedly abducted in Cambridge in 2000.

Shamsa said she was ordered into a car, driven to a Newmarket house, and flown to Dubai the next day by private jet, according to a report by The Guardian.

"I was caught on the 19th August, in Cambridge. He sent four Arab men to catch me. They were carrying guns and threatening me. They drove me to my father's place in Newmarket. There they gave me two injections and a handful of tablets," Shamsa said, according to The Guardian.

At the time, Shamsa was 18-years-old.

According to the UAE embassy in London, "media coverage does not reflect the true situation," and she is being cared for at home.

Sheikh Mohammed stated that his daughter was safe and sound with her family.

"She continues to improve, and we are hopeful she will return to public life at the appropriate time," the official statement said in March this year.

"This case concerns highly personal and private matters relating to our children. The appeal was made to protect the best interests and welfare of the children," Sheikh Mohammed said.

African News Agency (ANA)

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United Nations