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The Derby, the Sheikh and the Missing Princess (Or: How Human Rights Became the Talk of a Horse Race)
The ruler of Dubai has spent a fortune pursuing Kentucky glory. In Essential Quality, Saturday’s favorite, he has his best chance—but it comes at his ugliest moment. The select yearling sale at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., is where the world’s big players converge each year to throw staggering sums of money at thoroughbred…
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We Know Where the Sheikh’s Horse Is. But Where Is His Daughter?
For nearly 40 years, Dubai’s ruler has spent vast sums here in central Kentucky. On thousands of acres of lush bluegrass with gently rolling hills mapped by limestone and plank fences. On horses — stallions and mares to populate his farms with foals and yearlings purchased in the sales ring. All in pursuit of winning a…
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Dubai defies UN plea for Princess Latifa
The ruler of Dubai has refused to co-operate with United Nations investigators who want to know whether his adult daughter, who was recaptured at sea after trying to run away, is still alive. A panel of UN human rights experts said they were demanding “meaningful information” on the conditions in which Princess Latifa bint Mohammed…
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Mary Robinson welcomes UN call for information on Princess Latifa’s fate
Former Irish president Mary Robinson has welcomed a call by UN human rights experts for “meaningful information” on the fate of Princess Latifa of Dubai. The UN has urged the United Arab Emirates to provide concrete proof “without delay” that Princess Latifa, a daughter of Dubai’s ruler and who is reportedly being held in detention, is alive. Ms Robinson, a former UN…
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Is Dubai Princess, Unseen in Public, Still Alive?
United Nations human rights experts expressed alarm on Tuesday that Dubai’s government has not responded to repeated requests for proof that Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, a daughter of Dubai’s billionaire ruler, is alive and well. “Evidence of life and assurances regarding her well-being are urgently required,” the U.N. analysts said in a statement, which comes…
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Interview: ‘They told me they could do anything they wanted with me’ — Princess Latifa’s friend speaks out about trying to escape Dubai with the princess and the Irish connection
The last time Tiina Jauhiainen saw her close friend Princess Latifa of Dubai, she was being dragged away kicking and screaming by armed commandos from a boat off the Indian coast. Latifa and Tiina had mounted a daring escape from the gulf state in February 2018 after the princess had her freedom heavily restricted by…
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Stark light shone on Latifa’s father, a big player in Irish horse racing
The woman who helped Princess Latifa in her attempt to escape from Dubai has called on Irish horseracing authorities to ban Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum from the sport. Princess Latifa’s friend Tiina Jauhiainen said it is time for Irish racing to take a stand on the ruler of the gulf state over his…
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Tories accused of ‘turning a blind eye’ to plight of Dubai’s captured Princess Latifa
The Tories have been accused of “turning a blind eye” to the fate of Dubai’s Princess Latifa because her father is an ally of the UK. When Latifa released secretly recorded video messages last month claiming she was being held against her will after her abduction in 2018, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described the footage…
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Abducted, kidnapped, escaped: the ugly tale of Dubai’s princesses
It’s the stuff of a dark fairy story: imprisoned daughters, a runaway bride and an overbearing father. Recent headlines about the family of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum have sent shockwaves around the world – and there’s no happy ending in sight. Martin Fletcher investigates. As a child Marcus Essabri used to play with his…
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Government ‘turned blind eye’ to Dubai leader for failing to prosecute him over daughter’s kidnap in Cambridge
Ministers have questioned why the Government failed to prosecute the ruler of Dubai over the kidnap of his daughter in Cambridge and for continuing to hold her sister hostage. Former Labour Cabinet Minister Lord Hain questioned whether the Government was “turning a blind eye” to abuses under Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum because he…