A photograph that appears to show Dubai princess Sheika Latifa in Spain. Photograph: shinnybryn/Instagram
Princess, who was seized trying to flee the sheikhdom in 2018, has appeared in several social media posts in recent months
A Dubai princess who has been the subject of concern from a United Nations panel after being seized trying to flee the sheikhdom in 2018 has appeared in a social media post that described her as being in Spain on a “European holiday.”
An Instagram image published by a woman identified in British media as former Royal Navy member Sioned Taylor shows Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport.
Taylor’s caption, punctuated by a smiley face emoji, read: “Great European holiday with Latifa. We’re having fun exploring!” Comments by Taylor acknowledged the location of the image, which match other images of the airport.
Asked about Sheikha Latifa, Taylor wrote in another comment “she is great” with a thumbs up emoji.
Taylor, the United Arab Emirates’ embassies in London and Madrid, as well as the government’s Dubai Media Office, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday from The Associated Press. Taylor posted images of Sheikha Latifa in May at two local Dubai malls as well.
The photos’ captions belie the fact that United Nations experts and human rights activists had called had called on Dubai’s ruler, sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to provide information on his daughter, who has accused him of years of abuse.
The sheikh has repeatedly denied all allegations of mistreating Latifa, and an older daughter, Shamsa, who a UK family court found was kidnapped by his staff from the streets of Cambridge in 2000 and has not been heard from since. Latifa appears to be enjoying an increasing degree of freedom and is travelling, a lawyer for the group which campaigned for her freedom told Reuters on Monday.
“We are pleased to see Latifa seemingly having a passport, travelling and enjoying an increasing degree of freedom; these are very positive steps forward,” David Haigh, co-founder of the Free Latifa campaign said. “I can also confirm that several of the campaign team have been contacted directly by Latifa.”
Sheikha Latifa, 35, had tried to flee the country in 2018 only to be detained by commandos in a boat off India.
Videos released in February by the BBC had Sheikha Latifa describing herself as being in a villa that “has been converted into a jail.”
The dramatic would-be sea escape and its aftermath intruded into the carefully controlled image maintained by the family of sheikh Mohammed, who is believed to have several dozen children from multiple wives. Some of his sons and daughters figure prominently in local media and online, but others are rarely seen.
Sheikh Mohammed also serves as the vice-president and prime minister of the hereditarily ruled the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula.
Source: The Guardian