UN raises concerns about Dubai princess
The United Nations human rights watchdog has asked the United Arab Emirates for more information about the status of Dubai's Sheikha Latifa and proof that she is alive.
Concerns have been raised after a video was published on Tuesday (February 16) by the BBC’s investigative news program, Panorama.
It said the footage shows Latifa, who is one of the ruler of Dubai's daughters, saying that she was being held against her will in a barricaded villa.
The U.N’s Liz Throssell told an online briefing they have asked for “proof of life”.
"Given the serious concerns about Sheikha Latifa, we have requested that the government's response comes as a matter of priority. We look forward to receiving and considering this response. And in the meantime of course, we will continue to monitor and assess the situation closely."
The UAE Foreign Ministry referred all enquiries to the Dubai government's media office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum drew international attention in 2018 when a human rights group released a video made by her, in which she described an attempt to escape Dubai.
In the Panorama video Latifa can be heard saying “I am a hostage” before adding the villa she is in had “been converted into a jail,"
Reuters could not independently verify when or where the video was recorded.
