Princess Latifa al Maktoum: How Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum daughter take vanish afta she plan her escape from UAE
New informate don show about how dem kidnap and secretly detain Princess Latifa, daughter of Dubai ruler.
For many many months, Tiina Jauhiainen no hear from her friend. Princess Latifa, wey dey prison for Dubai afta she try escape, still dey keep in touch wit her as e get one secret phone dem dey use communicate. But all of a sudden, di contact stop. Di last time Tiina see Latifa, na for February 2018, wen dem lie down for di deck of one Yatch dey look di stars as dem dey travel across di Indian Ocean. Di plan dem get na to comot Latifa from Dubai to start new life abroad. Di princess na one of di 25 children of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, di ruler of Dubai. Di sheikh don turn di emirate into a very beautiful city, place where many pipo dey like go for business, di playground of di region. But for Emirati women, di laws and customs fit make life dey very restrictive. Dubai skyline and beach "I no dey allowed to drive, I no dey allowed to travel or leave Dubai at all," Latifa tok inside one video she record just before her escape. "I neva comot dis kontri since 2000. I dey beg make dem allow me travel, allow me study, do anything normal. Dem no dey gree me. I need to leave." For Tiina house where she siddon, Latifa dey happy as she speak of what next for her. "I dey feel positive about di future. I no know how e go be make I just wake up for morning and reason say I fit do anything I want today. I really dey look forward to that." Di princess no get access to her passport and dem dey watch her, so she gatz codedly comot for Dubai and drive go di coast of Oman. Etake dem hours to reach di international waters, riding a dinghy and jet ski. By evening dem don reach di yacht wey suppose carry dem to freedom. Princess Latifa and Tiina Jauhiainen on di first leg of their journey for 2018 For inside Whatsapp message she send give her friend, Latifa tok say: "I don dey free". Dia plan na to sail across di Indian Ocean, from there fly go United States where Latifa go try claim political asylum. But eight days later, as dem dey near di coast of India, di escape take bad U-turn. Armed men enta di boat. Di two friends hide inside di bathroom until smoke grenades force dem out. "Latifa dey scream and kick. She dey say 'no carry me go back UAE. Just shoot me for here'," Tiina say na di last time she see her friend be dat. Map For inside videos wey just comot, Latifa explain how everything take happun, from wen dem gbab her for di yacht. "I dey fight, and dis guy come wit one small purse wey e carry, e comot needle and e chook me for my arm." Latifa say dem transfer her put inside one Indian military ship. "Di commandos carry me through dis corridor, enta one big room, and maybe four or five generals dey my front". "I dey repeat my name give dem say I be Latifa al Maktoum'. "I no wan go Dubai, I want asylum. I dey on top international waters, make una free me." Na deaf ears all her begging fall put, as di Emirati commando mishandle her. "He grab me. Lifts me up. I kick am, fight but e big pass me, as I see one of im arm wey dey exposed, I bite am and he scream." She say dem drug her, fly her go back Dubai. "At dat point, I feel very sad because all di work wey I do for so many years to gain my freedom don go. And I don dey here since den, only me inside solitary confinement. No access to medical help, no trial, no charge, nothing." Dem carry Tiina go back Dubai wit di yacht crew and dem detain her for two weeks. Then she begin tell di story to international media. She form di campaign group Free Latifa and she carry di princess case go di United Nations. But as di months pass, she no hear anything from Latifa. Then one day in early 2019, while she dey visit her family for Finland, she receive one message from one stranger. First I gats answer some security questions. Before now, Tiina bin teach Latifa capoeira, one Brazilian martial art. Now di stranger wan sabi Latifa capoeira nickname. Soon Tiina get phone she fit dey call princess directly. "When I first hear her voice, I cry. I no fit help am. E dey very, very emotional." Tiina Jauhiainen Latifa begin dey record video messages. Wetin dey reveal dey shocking. Di princess, wey be 35 years old, appear for di corner of her bathroom, she dey tok small-small. She say she dey do di video from inside bathroom as na di only room wey get door wey she fit lock. She add join say "I dey hostage, I no dey free. My life no dey my hands." Pale and puffy, she don spend three years with little access to sunlight. "I dey one villa, and dem don turn dis villa to jail. All di windows dey closed. Five policemen dey outside and two policewomen dey inside di house. I no even fit go outside collect fresh air." She tok. Princess Latifa imprisoned against her will in "villa jail" Di villa na some metres from di beach, for one rich neighbourhood. Di executive director of Human Rights Watch, Ken Roth, say make pipo no pretend say all dey well because na villa dem hide her put. "Dis woman dey prison, all alone and dis kain solitary confinement dey considered to be a form of torture, and e don too tey." She say fear dey show for Latifa voice as she dey worried about her safety and her life. She no know if she go survive dis situation. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at Royal Ascot , June 2019 Di sheikh has said that htok say im dey consider Latifa return to Dubai as rescue mission. For December 2018, after Latifa don miss for nine months, di UAE dey under pressure. Di United Nations don ask for proof of life - or dem go carry di mata go public say di Princess fit don die. Latifa bin receive visit from her stepmother Princess Haya. Haya say make dem go lunch. "She tell me na like test, to see how pipo go react around her afta she don stay long for prison," Latifa tok for one video. "And if you act well, you react well, you go come out in few days." Latifa no know say Princess Haya don lie say she get bipolar disorder and dey vulnerable to exploitation. To help prove to di UN say everyhing dey okay wit Latifa, Haya don call one friend, di former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. On 15 December 2018, Mary Robinson fly go Dubai where she say Haya and her officials brief her about Latifa's supposed "medical condition". and she agree to follow UN tok. Latifa, no sabi all dis one. Over di lunch dem tok about di environment, skydiving, and Mary Robinson's upcoming book. Princess Latifa with Mary Robinson During di lunch dem no tok about her or her case. She no get idea who Robinson, former UN Human Rights Commissioner wey dey chop lunch together be . Robinson just say she wan take Latifa pictures so she fit send am go du UN an she agree. After di lunch, dem return Latifa go back her prison villa. Latif say e be like set up. Nothing change for di missing princess. But for her stepmother Princess Haya, extraordinary development bin dey. E no tey afta dat time, Robinson say she receive call from Haya say she don dey London wit her two children as e get wetin she just discover and dey fear. Haya say di sheikh no welcome her interest in Latifa and e become very hostile to her. By April 2019, she say she believe say her position for Dubai no longer dey safe and for on 15 April, she run go UK. Princess Haya in London, July 2019 Wit di escape of one of im wives and two more of im children, di Sheikh begin High Court battle to make di children returned to Dubai. But he get pass wetin e bargain for. In March 2020, one High Court judgement reveal further details of how e take dey treat im adult daughters. Eighteen years earlier, a second daughter, Shamsa, bin dey abducted for UK and dem return am to Dubai, where she don dey captive ever since. Di judgement give out di full tori for di first time, of how di sheikh agents track her down for Cambridge, den fly her go back. For Tiina, dis na correct breakthrough. "I think say dis na something wey go lead to her quick release." But Latifa still dey her prison for Dubai. Dis na Latifa third year for imprisonment and solitary confinement.