Princess Sheikha Latifa has been a big  name on newspapers and news outlets, like CNN and BBC, recently. A video was released from her iPhone in a villa in the UAE. She claims in this video she was being held hostage by her own father. 

The Princess of Dubai, Princess Sheikha Latifa, is the daughter of Sheik Mohammed. Her father is the King, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. Last week, a video was leaked to BBC where Latifa claimed to be held hostage by her own father in a villa. The video was leaked anonymously, though no one knows if it is true or not, the past seems to speak louder for her supporters. 

No one has heard from the Princess since 2018, nearly three years. The last time anyone spoke with her was after her last attempt to leave the UAE with a friend, Tiina Jauhiainen. On February 24, 2018, the princess and her friend used an inflatable boat and jet skis to get into international water where a US boat was awaiting them. Eight days later, right off the coast of India, commandos boarded the boat and brought Latifa and her friend back. The two have not seen each other for a very long time. The last reporting of the princess with anyone else was in December 2018 when former United Nations official Mary Robinson came to visit. However, she was told that Latifa was not stable and had a “condition,” so she never questioned Latifa about her circumstance or her attempt to escape. 

Princess Latifa has not been the only one to try and escape her father. Princess Haya and her two children successfully fled to the United Kingdom, and applied for a protection and non-molestation order against her father. The court approved the order and is now looking into Latifa’s case to help her escape. However, the sheik is fighting back and is making it difficult for the court to convict him of any wrong-doings to his daughters. 

Recently, the UAE embassy in London said, “In response to media reports regarding Sheikha Latifa, we want to thank those who have expressed concern for her well-being, despite the coverage which certainly is not reflective of the actual position.” Close friends and family members do not believe this statement and have started a campaign named Free Latifa. Some human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, support the campaign. 

Link to video: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/19/middleeast/dubai-princess-latifa-statement-intl/index.html