DUBAI – A new photograph, posted on two Instagram accounts, shows Princess Latifa, daughter of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, at the table of a shopping mall in Dubai with two women. “Nice evening at the Mall of the Emirates with friends” is the comment to the post of one of the two friends, author of the publication on Instagram. Latifa disappeared from the public eye in 2018 when she attempted to flee Dubai but was forcibly returned to the Emirate. In February Bbc Panorama he had released a video testimony in which the young woman said she was kept segregated and feared for her life.
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Friends of the princess told the Bbc that they recognize both other women and that Latifa knows them too. The photo was uploaded to Instagram, a platform that does not show the exact date, time or place where it was taken. There Bbc analyzed the details of the image: behind the women a cinema advertises the film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, in theaters in the United Arab Emirates since May 13th.
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In a note, David Haigh, human rights lawyer and co-founder of the ‘Free Latifa’ campaign group, said: “We confirm that there have been several potentially significant and positive developments in our campaign. We do not intend to comment further at this stage, a further statement it will be released at the appropriate time “. And UN sources, while refusing to comment on the photo, said they awaited “convincing evidence” on the affair involving the princess.
Latifa has accused her father of holding her hostage in Dubai since she tried to flee in 2018 and in a series of videos secretly recorded and then released by the British broadcaster she said she was being held captive and feared for her life. The royal family of Dubai has always denied imprisonment, claiming instead that the princess was “cared for at home” by family and doctors and was “recovering” from mental problems.
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Escaped in February 2018, Latifa was captured by the sheikh’s men while aboard a yacht off the Indian coast. Forced to return to Dubai, no one has seen her since.
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After the diffusion of the video recorded by Latifa and sent to the Bbc in February, the United Nations human rights office asked the emirates for proof that she was alive. “We raised our concerns about the situation in light of the disturbing video evidence that emerged this week,” he said three months ago. Liz Throssell, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, “and we asked for proof that he is alive”.
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