Sheikha (Princess) Latifa Al Maktoum - FULL VIDEO - Escape from Dubai - #FreeLatifa
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Published 2018-03-11
Princess Latifa was born on 5 December 1985. She is an Emirati princess and a member of the Dubai royal family. As the daughter of a Sheikh, she is often given the courtesy title of ‘Sheikha Latifa’.
Latifa's Escape
“Your father told us to beat you until we kill you. That’s his orders. Your father’s orders. Your father, the ruler of Dubai – that’s what he said.”
Princess Latifa’s story goes back to 2000 but it really took off in 2018. It is an astonishing story, which tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who has enjoyed freedom.
Born into a fabulously rich family, Latifa was one of a couple of dozen children – by several wives – of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. To the outside world, she seemingly lacked nothing in material terms, but had no warmth from either of her parents, and her only real family friends were her elder sister Shamsa and two adopted sisters. Both Latifa and Shamsa were sparky, free-thinking young women, which meant they clashed with the ethos of the gilded cage in which they grew up.
Shamsa pulled off her escape while the family was stationed in England during the flat racing season (Sheikh Mohammed is one of the world’s leading owners of racehorses). But two months later her father tracked her down, had her kidnapped off the streets of Cambridge, and brought back in a private plane to Dubai where she was imprisoned for years.
That instilled in Latifa a determination to escape, and in 2002 she tried it. But at 16 she was by her own admission hopelessly naïve and was easily tracked and brought back to the palace. As a result of her attempt to leave Dubai she was arbitrarily detained by her father and spent more than three years in prison. She was subjected to torture, and inhumane and degrading treatment. That made her all the more determined to escape, even if it meant taking many years to plan it properly.
On 24 February 2018, Latifa met up with her trusted friend Tiina Jauhiainen for a coffee in downtown Dubai. At one stage she nipped into the bathroom, came out wearing different clothes, drove with Tiina out of town, and managed to get across the border into Oman. From there she boarded the US-flagged boat Nostromo and sailed to freedom in international waters.
However, on the night of 4 March 2018, an unprecedented international abduction took place in which a significant Indian and UAE military force converged and carried out an unprovoked attack on the small boat off the coast of Goa, India. This force – consisting of at least two state-of-the-art ships from the Indian coast guard, a UAE Navy frigate, several hundred men, including an elite commando unit and a detachment of the UAE armed and state security forces, helicopters and planes – was sent to illegally capture and kidnap one young woman.
On that night, Indian commandos boarded the yacht Nostromo, savagely beat and tortured the crew of the ship, and dragged Latifa away, illegally ignoring her desperate pleas for asylum. They also captured Tiina and the crew were illegally taken to Dubai, at gunpoint. Tiina and the crew were eventually reclassed following growing international condemnation of the acts of the UAE, but Latifa was kept captive, and remains so today.
That the troops carried out the raid when they knew they were blatantly violating international law by attacking an American ship in international waters speaks of the power of the man they indirectly served. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the unelected and unchallenged ruler of Dubai, and the woman whose dream of freedom was brutally and violently crushed that night was his daughter, Sheikha Latifa.
While being held following the raid, one of the troops in charge told Latifa: “Your father told us to beat you until we kill you. That’s his orders. Your father’s orders. Your father, the ruler of Dubai – that’s what he said.”
Any information leading to the whereabouts, please contact:
[email protected]
www.freelatifa.com
All Comments (21)
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Now, I appreciate my life more than ever. No amount of money can buy us freedom and love . I felt so sorry for her.
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Rewatching this in 2024…Makes me so sad that she really thought she would be able to get away. So soul crushing. No one deserves to be imprisoned, especially not in the place that should be her safe place. So heart breaking, what a horrible father and person 💔
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I cried for her. What she said might sound unbelievable for people living in western societies, but as a woman coming from Iran I can easily believe all the terrible things she's been through.
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here in 2024... the first time I'm hearing about this story ever. I hope and pray she's still alive, if she is she's 38 today. 31 kids and your kids and wife try to run away from you....... I am so scared
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This how he treated his own blood daughter, can you imagine how he treats his "enemies"?!
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Poor woman! She sounds open minded, intelligent and brave! Freedom is really priceless! I hope she is still alive.
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whenever you have desire to be rich and royal , remember that there is women like Latifa , who would trade lives with you in a heartbeat just so that she can have basic human rights , freedom i hope i live to see the day that Latifa and her sister become free and live the rest of their life in well deserved peace
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She's so intelligent and artiulate. Praying for her freedom and happiness.
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2:42 Freedom - When you have it, you take it for granted. If you don't have it, it is very, very special
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This is not a LIE. She remembers all the DATES. She remembers every details of everything she speaks straightforward. This is not a joke. PLS PLS PLS PRAY FOR HER 🙏🙏
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You are the bravest, strongest young woman I have even seen. Many prayers you and those in your country. ♡
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I saw this video now for the first time . Very shocking testimonial. It broke my heard. Her father put her in prison for 3 years and the torture she get....i really cried. I see she is an honest woman.... She is really authentic and that makes her so beautiful.
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If you want to know who and what a man truly is, speak to his daughter.
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I cried of my life after watching this...i am so glad i am poor but have all the freedom in life and a loving family that willing to die for me...😓😓
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I have been following this case for the past two years and I still have hope that she will be found one day and she'll be free ♥I'm young but I cannot imagine my life being like this and I truly sympathise with her
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I have watched this video a couple of times, and I honestly feel so sad for this woman imagine having access to all the luxury and riches but being trapped, controlled and abuse!!! by her own father. I pray this woman is Free, SAFE, happy and at peace ❤🙏🏻 may God put people in your life to love you and protect you Always
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You know you're a failure when your wife AND your daughters flee from you, risking death... just to not be around you anymore.
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My heart goes out to this woman, not because she’s a “princess”, but because she’s a “human being”. I pray for her and her safety and well being. No one, and I mean no one should live like that or have this over their heads. I’m thankful for being born a woman elsewhere in the world. May God take action right away.
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Power over women is an ancient game played all over the world everyday. She is not free, I wish her well.
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She deserves a hug ..
