More than a month after Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, daughter of Dubai's ruler, released videos claiming to be held hostage in a locked villa, concerns are being raised about her safety after United Arab Emirates failed to provide proof of Latifa being alive. The Unites Nation's human rights office had asked Dubai to provide "proof of life," for the princess who had tried to flee in 2018.
The whereabouts of Latifa's elder sister Princess Shamsa remain unknown after she was whisked off from a street in Cambridge by the staff members of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
Latifa Had Claimed to be a Hostage Since 2018
It was in 2018 that Latifa first tried to escape the clutches of her father. The Guardian reported that Latifa escaped through the sea route with the help of her friends. It was only after she reached the western coast of India that she was caught by the Indian authorities and handed over to her father.
Last month, in a series of video recorded ever since, Latifa claimed that she had been kept locked inside a villa. "All the windows are barred shut. There's five policemen outside and two policewomen inside the house. And I can't even go outside to get any fresh air. I'm doing this video from a bathroom, because this is the only room with a door I can lock. I'm a hostage. I am not free. I'm enslaved in this jail. My life is not in my hands," she was heard in the videos that went viral online.
UN Seeks Proof About Princess Latifa Being Alive
Following the explosive videos, the UAE had claimed that the Princess was being looked after at home by family members and medical professionals.
Addressing a meeting in Geneva, the UN spokesperson Marta Hurtado claimed that despite repeated requests, the UAE had neither provided a 'proof of life' for the Princess nor revealed the conditions in which she is being held. "We haven't got any proof of life, and we would like one, one that is clear compelling evidence that she is alive. Our first concern of course is to be sure of that, that she is still alive," Hurtado said.
Stating that a meeting between UN officials and UAE ambassador in Geneva has been agreed upon, Hurtado said that the UN will also raise the issue of Shamsa, who is missing since 2000.
