Geneva: Independent experts working with the U.N. human rights office on Tuesday called on the United Arab Emirates’ government to provide more details about the fate of a daughter of Dubai’s powerful ruler who has claimed she was taken hostage.
The experts called for the immediate release of Sheikha Latifia bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, who turned up in videos broadcast by the BBC two months ago in which she questioned whether she would survive. They expressed concerns about alleged rights violations she has faced, and possible threats to her life.
Sheikha Latifa, a daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, tried to flee the UAE in 2018 only to be detained by commandos in a boat off India. The sheikh is prime minister and a vice president of the hereditarily ruled country. The experts called for independent verification of where Sheikha Latifa is, and urged her immediate release.
