“3 years ago, I received a shattering call from Princess Latifa in the midst of an unprecedented attack on a US yacht”, recalls Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai who Latifa called upon for help from the US flagged Nostromo.

“It was a call nobody ever wants to receive. Latifa told me there were men outside and she didn’t know what was happening.

She heard gunshots.

I told her to hide, hang up the phone and make voicemails and videos that I could use as evidence.

She swung into action and tried to record messages, but communications were abruptly stopped.

Both Captain Hervé Jaubert and Princess Latifa were cut off. I sent a message to their phones, knowing that they would now be in the custody of their assailants.

I wanted them to know we were aware of what had happened, that if anything happened to Hervé or Latifa, the world would know."

Radha Stirling Mar 17, 2021

News & Updates - Princess Latifa 2020

Princess Latifa Timeline

• Sheikha Latifa found and contacted US/French national Cptn early 2011. Hervé Jaubert, a former French secret service agent, to seek his assistance in her second escape attempt.  She contacted him because he had himself escaped in 2008 and written a book called “Escape from Dubai”. This gave her comfort that he would not have association to her father, the ruler of Dubai, from whom she was seeking to escape

• Over the course of seven years, Latifa and Hervé were in regular contact as they planned the details of her departure.

• In July 2017, Hervé advised Latifa to enlist assistance from a female in Dubai to assist with her cover.  She hired a Finnish woman, Tiina Jauhiainen, who then asked for assistance from a French national, to help Latifa exit the UAE.

• On February 24, 2018,  Latifa navigated her jet ski to meet Hervé outside of Omani territorial waters and they sailed towards Goa, India.

• During this time, Hervé and Latifa approached expert witness Radha Stirling, CEO and founder of Detained in Dubai, an organisation established in 2007 to assist foreigners facing injustices in the UAE.  Radha was known to Hervé since 2007. Latifa requested assistance from Radha in media and legal matters. Screenshots and unpublished voicemails are available on request.

• Herve’s US flagged yacht Nostromo was violently attacked in international waters on the 4th of March 2018 by Indian and UAE military forces.  Electronic Warfare Aircraft was deployed to block out communications, but before that, Latifa contacted Radha in text and by whatsapp phone to raise the SOS.  She told Radha she heard gunfire outside. Latifa was removed from Nostromo kicking and screaming after repeatedly requesting asylum. Hervé and the crew of Nostromo were forced to the UAE.

• At this time, Radha deployed an “all hands on deck” emergency response, contacted the Indian Coast Guard, the US Coast Guard, the UAE government, UK police forces and the FBI to notify them of the attack, contacted Latifa’s US attorney who provided a video testimony that Latifa had recorded prior to her escape.  Radha released it immediately upon receiving it in hope that this would ensure her safety.  The video discussed how Latifa had been tortured, abused and jailed and other crimes of Sheikh Mohammed, her father.

• Radha then, as the only person with authority to represent Latifa, instructed a barrister to raise their disappearance to the United Nations Working Group for Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, and launched a worldwide media campaign.  Lawyers of news outlets were nervous initially to publish a case essentially attacking the ruler of Dubai, but with Radha’s pre-existing connections at the Mail Online and after extensive due diligence, it was published.  Initially, many people dismissed it as “fake news” until the BBC and other major outlets broadcast it.

• Once authorities became aware of media involvement and after pressure from the US government, approximately 2 weeks later, on  March 20 2018,  Hervé and the crew were released from the UAE.

• Hervé was brought to London, UK where a press conference was organised and a campaign for Latifa’s freedom.  Initially, the UAE and India sought to deny Latifa’s existence, releasing photos of a different Latifa to press in an attempt to distract and cause doubt.  The evidence however, was overwhelming and the UAE therefore, took the position of silence. They ignored communications from the United Nations.

• From March onwards, Detained in Dubai published ongoing press releases in order to dispel UAE generated myths and to maintain focus on Latifa’s release and recruited the support of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, along with social media supporters like KimDotCom, Daryl Hannah etc. who helped raise awareness in the United States.

• Radha Stirling / Detained in Dubai attended the United Nations in Geneva to give further evidence and suggestions.

• The BBC broadcast a documentary called “Escape from Dubai”, contributing to the UAE's decision to break their silence.  Princess Haya invited her friend Mary Robinson to meet Latifa in a hope to prove to the world that Latifa was “safe” and “in the loving care of her family”.  This attempt at counter PR backfired and Mary was heavily criticised.  The public wondered whether this was Princess Haya’s plan or whether she had been instructed to perform this task.​

• Earlier in 2019, Princess Haya spoke with RTE in a lengthy radio interview about Latifa.  She explained that if she had any concern for Latifa’s safety, she would not stand for it, she would leave.  She also said that Latifa was a troubled young woman and that it is a “private family matter”. Princess Haya was further criticised by Detained in Dubai and other organisations for circumventing United Nations protocols, given her status as an ambassador. 

• Following rumours in Arab media, it was dramatically confirmed that Princess Haya and Sheikh Mohammed had separated and that he had initiated proceedings in the British family courts for custody of his children.  Princess Haya had circulated that she left after having discovered disturbing information about her stepdaughter Latifa and that she was in fear for her life.  Sheikh Mohammed’s side circulated that Princess Haya was unfaithful. Haya’s lawyer has started very aggressively in applying for a protection order against forced marriage for her children and it remains to be seen whether they will achieve a privately negotiated agreement.  Stirling was invited on the same RTE discussion panel show in July 2019 to discuss Princess Haya’s behaviour and the impact on Latifa, analysing her earlier comments to the broadcaster.

• With the United Nations investigation into Latifa’s alleged abuse open, it would be highly unlikely for a British court to allow the children to live with their father.

• These custody proceedings have been the catalyst for Sheikh Mohammed to finally agree to meet with the United Nations to discuss Latifa’s situation.  He is allegedly agreeing to have the UN meet Latifa, though it is unlikely this would be in an unsupervised capacity and is thus, unlikely to satisfy public concern for her safety.

• On another note, tensions were high between the UAE and Jordan when the situation was initially published.  There was concern that the UAE would sanction Jordan if Princess Haya continued to be acrimonious. Shortly thereafter, Jordan re-established diplomatic relations with Qatar.

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Dubai's allegations:

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• The position of Dubai is that Latifa was manipulated, taken advantage of and has mental health issues, rumoured “bi-polar”.  Hervé Jaubert, who has known her the longest, does not believe this to be true and, even if it were, this does not allow her to be deprived of her human right to freedom of movement.​

• Radha has appointed Queen’s Counsel John Cooper and MH to assist with the ongoing United Nations inquiries and has made fresh information submissions to the UN.  These parties were carefully appointed by Radha as they have no association or bias to Qatar and are acting entirely in a pro bono capacity.  Latifa had specifically advised Radha that she did not want her matter politicised or used by Qatar, given the blockade, as this could dilute her story and make the UAE less likely to agree to a resolution with the United Nations.

• Since the attack on Nostromo, Radha has spoken at a Frontiers of Freedom forum in Washington DC, and raised the attack on Nostromo with major US media.  Information has further been discovered that KVH had provided Nostromo’s coordinates and we are coordinating legal actions in NY to pursue KVH, who have been very evasive to our questioning.

• John Cooper QC and MH have discovered India and UAE to be in violation of a number of laws and are preparing legal actions against both countries on behalf of Cptn. Jaubert.  We expect this to prompt further cooperation in Latifa’s situation, but also to ensure that countries do not act belligerently in the future. Without accountability, precedent will be set for further Khashoggi style incidents.

• Male Guardianship:  Over the past year, we have assisted with several cases of women fleeing the gulf region, one of them, Emirati “Hind Albolooki” who fled an abusive situation and managed to seek asylum in Germany.  We have also been contacted by persecuted homosexual young men who are equally seeking a way to escape their families.

• In Latifa’s case, Hervé Jaubert was advised by Sheikh Mohammed’s men that Latifa was the property of Mohammed, and that helping a woman leave her family without the father’s permission, is a kin to kidnapping, even if she is in her 30’s.

• Following the release of Hervé Jaubert, the UAE government listed him on Interpol’s database for “kidnapping”.  Submissions were made to Interpol who removed the notice from Hervé’s passport and he is currently awaiting confirmation that they have removed it from his other passport.  The abuse of Interpol over the past decade by Middle Eastern countries has been discrediting to the organisation and Radha Stirling is part of a working group in Washington DC, formed to influence policy makers in the US to pressure Interpol reforms.

• It is clear that male guardianship is prevalent in the UAE and especially within the ruling families.  Latifa’s very public escape has inspired young women in the gulf region to escape themselves and we have received many requests for assistance as a result.​​

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• There is a lot of disinformation and inaccurately presented data, and misrepresented historical facts that have been published.  We welcome fact checking.

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On the 31st of December 2018, Detained in Dubai announced:

"Detained in Dubai and Radha Stirling are no longer directly involved in the #FreeLatifa campaign, website or associated fundraising.  

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Radha Stirling and Detained in Dubai continue to support efforts to secure Princess Latifa's ultimate freedom, the preservation and promotion of human rights and equality for women in the Middle East.

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As an organisation we are primarily concerned with the extent to which foreign visitors and residents in these countries may be victimised by repressive laws and discriminatory practices.  Our advocacy for reforms are part of our effort to ensure that expats, tourists, investors and businesspeople in the Gulf are safe; and that these countries comply with their international legal obligations to protect human rights, provide due process, conduct fair trials, and respect the treaties and charters to which they are signatories.  As long as oppressive, discriminatory laws remain, including those against women, the environment in Gulf countries is highly risky for foreigners. We play a role in helping to bring GCC nations in line with international standards of justice, and highlighting those areas which need development; this naturally includes addressing the plight of women.

Sheikha Latifa contacted Radha Stirling during her escape attempt and appealed for her assistance.  The situation was unfolding rapidly at that time, and I pledged to help in any way we could.  She soon called Stirling in a panic to say that the boat she was on was under attack, and all communication abruptly ceased.  We immediately filed missing persons reports for Latifa and all onboard, liaised with Latifa’s lawyer, released her video, and pushed for her story to be published. Subsequently, we appointed barrister Toby Cadman to submit an application with the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances who then launched an enquiry into Latifa’s abduction.  We also filed a report with the FBI over the raid on the American registered yacht Latifa was using to flee the UAE. These investigations are ongoing.

There is no satisfactory update on Latifa’s condition.  We are relieved to know she is alive, though cognisant of the fact that she herself said she would rather die than be returned to the UAE.  Mary Robinson’s visit did nothing to assuage fears about Latifa’s welfare, and Ms Robinson would have been better advised to decline the invitation to visit, and instead encourage the government to respond to the United Nations enquiry.