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Updated February 20th, 2021 at 12:04 IST

UN Human Rights Office calls upon UAE govt to provide proof 'Princess Latifa is alive'

The UN Human Rights Office on Friday called upon the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities to provide more information about Sheikha Latifa’s current situation

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
UN
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The UN Human Rights Office on Friday called upon the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities to provide more information about Sheikha Latifa’s current situation, citing the BBC video that emerged earlier this week, where the princess claims she is being held against her will. Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, while speaking in an online briefing, said the UN raised the issue with UAE authorities and has asked them to share information regarding Sheikha Latifa's situation.

"We raised our concerns about the situation in light of the disturbing video evidence that emerged this week. We requested more information and clarification about Sheikha Latifa's current situation," Throssell told reporters during the briefing. 

Read: Dubai's Princess Haya Paid £1.2million To Keep Love Affair With Bodyguard Secret: Report

'I want to be free'

Sheikha Latifa reappeared earlier this week in a BBC investigative news programme, where she accused her father, UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, of holding her hostage in a villa-turned jail in Dubai. In the video, Sheikha Latifa, who tried to flee UAE in 2018 but was allegedly captured by the Indian coast guard and sent back to her home country, was seen recording the video inside a bathroom, saying it is the only room with a door. Further in the programme, Sheikha Latifa says she is worried about her safety and life. 

Read: UAE: As Missing Dubai Princess' Video Resurfaces, Latifa's Lawers Urge Govt To Release Her

Shekha Latifa claims that the house where she is being held "hostage" has only tinted windows and she has not seen sunlight for a very long time. According to the documentary, Tiina Jauhiainen, a friend of Sheikha Latifa, somehow managed to get her a cell phone a year after the failed escape attempt. Sheikha Latifa used the phone to record the videos and send them to BBC for the news programme. 

"I’m reaching a point where I’m getting so tired of everything. It’s like a circus … I just want to be free. I don’t know what they’re planning on doing with me. The situation is getting more desperate every day," Princess Latifa says in the documentary. 

Read: Princess Latifa Claims She Is Being Held 'hostage In A Villa Converted Into A Jail'

In the documentary, Mary Robinson, who is a former president of Ireland and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, claims that she was misled by UAE authorities into believing that the Princess was a troubled woman and safe under family's care, referring to a picture with Latifa from 2018 published by Emirati officials. Robinson alleges that UAE authorities deliberately posted the picture to project that everything is back to normal. 

Read: Missing Dubai Princess Re-emerges In Videos At 'jail Villa'
 

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Published February 20th, 2021 at 12:04 IST

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