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"Hello, my name is Latifa Maktoum, I was born on December 5, 1985. I have to remember to say everything because it may be the last video I make … And if you are watching this video, It's not a good thing, it means that I'm dead or in a very, very, very bad situation. "
The above message is part of the following. a video recorded by Latifa, Princess of Dubai, a few days before trying to flee the city. , which is part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Middle East. She is one of 30 children of the leader of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, one of the richest and most powerful political figures in the world.
"Very soon, I'm going to flee somewhere, and I'm not sure it will work, but I'm 99% optimistic." Latifa said in the video, which was secretly recorded for the purpose to be published by his friends if the evacuation plan did not work. The testimony was like a request for help in the future.
In February of this year, the recording was posted on YouTube, indicating that something could have happened to the princess.
The story of Latifa was told by a new BBC documentary, Escape from Dubai: The Mystery of the Missing. Princess ( The Flight from Dubai: The Mystery of the Missing Princess ), aired December 6. In this text, BBC News Brazil tells the trajectory of the princess
"(Dubai) is not as it was described by the media.
The life of Princess Latifa in a" cage
Daughter of Sheikh Maktoum, Latifa lived in luxury. "She lived with her mother and two sisters in a private house that looked like a palace from the outside. There were pools, mbadage rooms, probably a hundred employees, "says Tiina Jauhiainen, coach of Latifa's capoeira, her trusted friend
" For me, it seemed like Latifa had everything what a girl could dream of having, "Tiina told the BBC." I lived in a palace, I had a lot of money, there was nothing missing , it was the first impression. It took me some time to realize the reality of his life. "
The United Arab Emirates portrays itself as one of the most liberal societies in the world – women of the Middle East, where they can enjoy the liberties and luxury of the West But, like Saudi Arabia, the country is also governed by sharia, Islamic law.
"Women must obey their husbands, men can beat their wives and children. This is governed by the law of the United Arab Emirates; so, if a woman is considered too wild and uncontrolled by her family, she may decide to get herself and punish her for that she does not behave that way, "Rhothna Begum said. human rights organization Human Rights Watch.
In 2002, at the age of 16 years Latifa tried to escape for the first time. But he was captured at the border and brought back to Dubai.
"They put me in jail and tortured me. Basically, one guy held me, the other hit me and after the torture sessions, I could not even walk. "
Then, says Latifa, she was confined alone in a dark room, ignoring the day and at night she would have been imprisoned for 3 years and 4 months and released only at 19.
Latifa left this experience entirely different, according to the video, he stopped trusting people and started to spend more time with the animals – some of these moments are recorded in her profile on Instagram.
Free, but prevented from leaving Dubai, the princess is allowed to hire private tutors At age 26, he has completed his He also started sports training, and in addition to capoeira lessons with Tiina, he took skydiving lessons and joined the community of local paratroopers.
said that parachuting gave him have a sense of freedom. She needed something to distract herself from her life, "says Tiina.
Nevertheless, Latifa's photos jumped from the parachute and were eventually broadcast in local media, thus conveying the image that Latifa had told the BBC that the princess was silent, simple and that she never spoke of her family Dubai wanted to convey: that of pleasure and feminine freedom.
Everything is a "farce", said Latifa in the video. "I can not drive, I can not travel, I have not gone (to Dubai) since 2000, they have not left. I asked to study abroad and they refused me, "he said." [Mon père a cette image d'être un homme moderne.] It's just marketing. "
C & # Is Sheikh Rashid al Maktoum who takes care of your image. Patrick Nixon, British ambbadador to the region, called the Sheikh "charismatic, dynamic, with a certain charm, but very determined". "He's a very public character who appears all the time in the press, he knows what he wants, how to get and who can help," Nixon told the BBC.
Under his command, Dubai has radically changed from a deserted, arid city to one of the world's most glamorous metropolises, filled with towering skyscrapers and luxurious artificial islands. It's "Las Vegas Middle East," "Hedonist," "with a bit of everything," said Rhothna Begum of Human Rights Watch.
In his private life, Maktoum is one of the largest horse breeders in the world. Because of this pbadion, the sheikh often travels to England to attend the famous Ascot races, where he owns a $ 95 million mansion – the Sheikh is by far the largest private owner in the UK.
"Sheikh is an international brand," said British journalist Sean O 'Driscoll.
An example of a repressive force
The flight of Princess Shamsa, sister of Latifa
An example of the repressive force of the Dubai regime is what happened to one of Latifa's sisters, Princess Shamsa, in 2000.
That year, Maktoum decided to spend the summer in his mansion in England with a part of the family – Shamsa was even 18 years old. years
The entourage was accompanied by several security guards and all travel was by private plane. "Shamsa hated everything, she complained about her gold cage," commented Stuart Millar, a reporter for the British newspaper The Guardian .
Tired of living imprisoned in the luxury of the family, without having "the freedoms of the civilized world", according to Latifa, Shamsa has run away.
She managed to stay hidden for weeks, but was eventually spotted by her father's security guards a few miles from Cambridge. "She was taken in a car and shouted, then she was taken in a helicopter in France and from France to Dubai," said Millar, who covered the case.
The operation had the mark of a kidnapping, a crime in the United Kingdom. The Cambridge police opened an investigation but could not proceed. The investigator in charge of the case tried to travel to Dubai to talk to Shamsa, but his application for membership in the UAE was rejected – they never told him why.
The United States is a strategic ally of the United Kingdom, which has made it difficult to pursue the case. . (19659002) "It's one of the weirdest stories I have worked with, said Millar.It's one of the weirdest stories with which I'm Worked
Shamsa is doped and imprisoned in Dubai, accuses Latifa
It is unknown what happened to Shamsa after his return to Dubai.In the video, Latifa reported that his sister had been drugged and imprisoned in a room in a palace
"She was placed in this building, Zabell Palace, and imprisoned for eight years, and then I was allowed to visit her. in a very, very, very bad state. She did not open her eyes. And people were forced to give Shamansa a hand for her to walk. They gave him food and a lot of pills. These tablets made her stay. like a zombie, "said Latifa.
" She was constantly surrounded by nurses who slept with her and wrote down everything she did or said. "
This is after the her sister escaped that Latifa decided to escape but she was arrested and, according to her information, arrested and tortured.It is impossible to verify if this actually happened.But Sima Watling of Amnesty International claims that certain aspects of the description of what happened to it seem familiar and plausible.
Human rights organizations have already been able to document a number of cases of torture. torture by beating in United Arab Emirates jails and in solitary confinement.
After ten years.Latifa had planned to escape once again.In video, princess says that she went in a cybercafe where she contacted Hervé Jaubert, a former French spy
Jaubert was a former intelligence officer in the navy. He had worked in Dubai, but had problems with the Emirates and had to flee by sea, swimming for much of the trip. "Since I had escaped from Dubai, she (Latifa) wanted to do the same thing," Jaubert told the BBC.
"I was moved, it was a personal request and I wanted to give it a chance."
The physical instructor of Latifa, Tiina, based in Finland, became the intermediary. He went to the Philippines four times, where Jaubert was. There, they developed the plan that Tiina was to transmit to Latifa in Dubai
First, they would travel by land to Muscat, the capital of Oman. Arrived at the coast, they took an inflatable boat to a yacht where Jaubert was waiting. While the United Arab Emirates controls the waters of the Arabian Sea, Jaubert's strategy was to embark for India, as he had done when he was at sea. Was escaped. The last step would be to fly to Florida in the United States, where Latifa would seek political asylum
. It was February 24, 2018. Tiina told the BBC that Latifa was very nervous. "We met in a cafe, as we had done in the past."
They then got into the car – it was the first time that Latifa was sitting in front. "She wanted to selfies all the time," recalls Tiina.
"I do not know what I feel to be able to do what I want to do, it will be incredible, "said Latifa enthusiastically in the video that she had recorded before she left.
But Latifa was not out yet Everyone knew that they were facing one of the most sophisticated police states in the world and that it would be difficult to avoid it. ” clbad=”img img-responsive image-large”/>
Persecution in Indian Seas
<img src = "https://media.metrolatam.com/2018/12/12/104742556gettyimages84061503-f2dfc80c8667ad0da1c32b89cc58a918-1200×0.jpg" alt = "" The sit The situation was tense, you are basically at war in a hostile zone and if you are, you are dead, "Jaubert told the BBC. 19659008] International experts point out that the United Arab Emirates has invested millions of dollars in Israeli surveillance systems capable of converting a cell phone into a spy device. They can track people online by interfering with their phones and locating them.
Latifa had a bad omen to go to India, a country with which the UAE has strategic pacts. She knew her father would pursue her – and India would not hesitate to help her, Latifa thought
In an attempt to prevent a persecution, the Princess of Dubai contacted several reporters. "But nobody believed it, it was very sad," Tiina said.
Radha Sterling, founder of the British NGO owned in Dubai, was also contacted by Latifa. The two men exchanged dozens of messages, but when Sterling asked for a photo of Latifa to prove her identity, the princess refused to send her, lest she be intercepted.
The security apparatus of Maktoum was already following in the footsteps of Latifa. "We were followed by boats, then an Indian surveillance plane came in. I was worried because I knew they had identified us."
Only 50 kilometers from India, the yacht was intercepted and approached by armed persons. "They put a gun on my face." "Close your eyes or I kill you," they shouted at me. Someone handcuffed me, then gave me a violent blow. I found myself in a pool of blood.And they were Indians, "Jaubert said, 19659002] Tiina and Latifa hid in a bathroom, and from there, the princess started sending messages to Radha Sterling, letting him know that his boat was under attack, "help me," he said on the phone, and Sterling heard sounds that sounded like shots on the other side.
Tiina and Latifa were found and taken away on the bridge under the gun. "I listened to Arabic and realized that someone from the Emirates had approached us," he said. reminded coach Tiina.
Latifa then shouted and asked for asylum.He said that he preferred to die here. "It was the last time I l & # 39; heard talking, she was paralyzed, "said Tiina." I was ready to face the pirates, but never to collusion between India and the United Arab Emirates, "Jau said. bert.
Seven days later, the video recorded by Latifa before the escape attempt was posted on YouTube and sent to friends to reveal it. something happened to him.
<img src = "https://media.metrolatam.com/2018/12/12/104742562tiina-b79d080caafb8c278e7221884daa1f0e-1200×0.jpg" alt = "
It is unknown what happened to Latifa
Tiina, her Finnish friend, and ex-French spy Jaubert were taken to Dubai. She was accused of having manipulated the princess and him, to have her kidnapped. They both say that the Dubai authorities have tried to force them to refute the denunciations of the rebel princess, but that is not the case.
Two weeks later, they were released.
"I feel very bad, because I should have taken her to a safe place, she may not even be alive."
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Dubai Government did not comment on the accusations made in the BBC documentary. However, they issued a statement saying that "Latifa and Shamsa are revered and valued by their families and that Latifa is now safe in Dubai".
Tiina hopes that her friend "will stay alive, will have strength and will not give up". And remember Latifa's last words at the end of her revealing video. "If I do not go out, I hope at least something positive will come up."
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Latifa had a bad omen to go to India, a country with which the UAE has strategic pacts. She knew her father would pursue her – and India would not hesitate to help her, Latifa thought
In an attempt to prevent a persecution, the Princess of Dubai contacted several reporters. "But nobody believed it, it was very sad," Tiina said.
Radha Sterling, founder of the British NGO owned in Dubai, was also contacted by Latifa. The two men exchanged dozens of messages, but when Sterling asked for a photo of Latifa to prove her identity, the princess refused to send her, lest she be intercepted.
The security apparatus of Maktoum was already following in the footsteps of Latifa. "We were followed by boats, then an Indian surveillance plane came in. I was worried because I knew they had identified us."
Only 50 kilometers from India, the yacht was intercepted and approached by armed persons. "They put a gun on my face." "Close your eyes or I kill you," they shouted at me. Someone handcuffed me, then gave me a violent blow. I found myself in a pool of blood.And they were Indians, "Jaubert said, 19659002] Tiina and Latifa hid in a bathroom, and from there, the princess started sending messages to Radha Sterling, letting him know that his boat was under attack, "help me," he said on the phone, and Sterling heard sounds that sounded like shots on the other side.
Tiina and Latifa were found and taken away on the bridge under the gun. "I listened to Arabic and realized that someone from the Emirates had approached us," he said. reminded coach Tiina.
Latifa then shouted and asked for asylum.He said that he preferred to die here. "It was the last time I l & # 39; heard talking, she was paralyzed, "said Tiina." I was ready to face the pirates, but never to collusion between India and the United Arab Emirates, "Jau said. bert.
Seven days later, the video recorded by Latifa before the escape attempt was posted on YouTube and sent to friends to reveal it. something happened to him.
It is unknown what happened to Latifa
Tiina, her Finnish friend, and ex-French spy Jaubert were taken to Dubai. She was accused of having manipulated the princess and him, to have her kidnapped. They both say that the Dubai authorities have tried to force them to refute the denunciations of the rebel princess, but that is not the case.
Two weeks later, they were released.
"I feel very bad, because I should have taken her to a safe place, she may not even be alive."
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Dubai Government did not comment on the accusations made in the BBC documentary. However, they issued a statement saying that "Latifa and Shamsa are revered and valued by their families and that Latifa is now safe in Dubai".
Tiina hopes that her friend "will stay alive, will have strength and will not give up". And remember Latifa's last words at the end of her revealing video. "If I do not go out, I hope at least something positive will come up."
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