Latifa's final WhatsApp exchanges after her escape from Dubai From onboard Nostromo, after Latifa’s daring escape from Dubai, she contacted Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling and the two exchanged messages up until her capture. The messages showcase how determined the princess was to secure her freedom. Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum had planned her second escape for seven years, enlisting the assistance of former French secret service agent Hervé Jaubert. Before her escape, she

Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum and Princess Haya separate Radha Stirling comments on the broader implications of the Princess Haya story: “The impact of Princess Haya’s escape from Dubai, and from her marriage to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, cannot be underestimated. We have already seen that the Ruler of Dubai is willing to mobilise state power, military resources, and diplomatic connections to manage his personal scandals and exert control over his family. When his da

Desperate: Latifa (left) recording her testimony as protection in case she was recaptured. (right) Princess Haya, who now confirms Latifa was tortured and imprisoned by father Sheikh Mohammed It has been reported that Princess Haya made the decision to flee the UAE and her marriage to Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum after learning the truth about his alleged decades of abuse of his daughter Sheikha Latifa. After Latifa’s escape and capture last year, Princes

Hervé Jaubert discussed upcoming lawsuits and new book release Herve Jaubert, the ex-secret service agent and captain of the Nostromo, has announced plans to file a lawsuit against PLC Satellite provider KVH, Rhode Island NY, who, he alleges in his latest book, Princess Latifa & the Spy, disclosed his position following the high-profile escape of Princess Latifa from Dubai back in March, 2018.The suit alleges potential violations of data privacy and undisclosed damages agains

Christian Michel, British national exchanged for Princess Latifa. UN to hear case of British national "swapped” for Princess Latifa British national Christian Michel was accused of involvement in corruption over the sale of AgustaWestland helicopters to the Indian Government in 2010, despite having been found innocent of those charges by the Italian High Court, India continued to seek his extradition from the UAE, where Mr Michel was a resident. The UAE refused India’s reques

One year on since a violent raid at sea crushed Sheikha Latifa’s dream of freedom, the BBC Two documentary on her story, Escape from Dubai: The Mystery of the Missing Princess, will air on the ABC’s Four Corners programme this Monday. Australian human rights and UAE expert Radha Stirling, whose organisation Detained in Dubai has led the effort to secure Latifa’s release, remembers well the night the princess was captured, “Latifa contacted me after she set out on the yacht No

The ongoing dispute between Gulf neighbours Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia (with a variety of other countries allied to one side or the other), has become increasingly disruptive and dangerous; even victimising disinterested foreign visitors to the Gulf as the rivals ramp up pressure tactics against each other. Just last month a British national was attacked and subsequently jailed in the UAE for wearing a team jersey for the Qatar national football team while attending a ma

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai and UAE country expert witness, spoke with Hind Al-Bolooki from detention in Macedonia, pledging to help her secure freedom from abuse and provide expert testimony for her asylum application. Ms Stirling issued the following statement: Today I had a conference call with Hind Al-Bolooki and some of her friends and supporters. Hind could barely speak above a whisper, and I could sense the desperation in her voice. She wanted to know whet

Statement of Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai Anyone familiar with Princess Latifa’s story who listened to the BBC Radio interview today with Mary Robinson will be astonished at the extent to which Ms Robinson appeared to be reciting almost verbatim from Dubai’s script. What we heard today was Mary Robinson essentially reciting for BBC Radio listeners the content of the statement issued by the Dubai Ruler’s Court. She had nothing to say about the charges Latifa made a

Radha Stirling comments on the escalation of belligerent behaviour of the UAE Upon her return from Washington D.C., having met with policy makers, academics, journalists and human rights organisations; Radha Stirling reflects on the current trajectory of the UAE’s relations with the international community: The killing of Jamal Khashoggi Seven months before dissident Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered, Saudi Arabia’s principle ally in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates bru

Indo-UAE ties to expand Emirates’ sphere of influence a troubling development, given UAE’s record of human rights abuse and disregard for the rule of law; reveals short term thinking of Modi govt To anyone who has lived in, or even visited the United Arab Emirates, one thing is obvious: the country could not function without Indians. Foreigners often joke that the national language of the Emirates is Hindi or Urdu, not Arabic. Indeed, in the 1950s, rupees used to be legal ten

On Thursday, December 6 BBC2 will air Escape from Dubai: the Mystery of the Missing Princess, reporting to a global audience the story of Sheikha Latifa al Maktoum, daughter of the Ruler of Dubai, who fled the UAE after allegedly years of abuse, only to be recaptured in a violent raid at sea; calling into question the image of the Emirates as a modern, liberal country The UAE celebrates its National Day this week; within the insulated, media-censored bubble of Dubai and Abu D

Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling, a leading international expert on Human Rights and legal abuse in the UAE, is currently in Washington D.C. to address the Frontiers of Freedom conference entitled, “Saudi Arabia & UAE: Regional Adventures & US Interests”, during which she will discuss the UAE’s March 4th illegal raid on US-registered yacht, Nostromo, in international waters, and the subsequent abduction of all onboard, undertaken in an effort to recapture the fleeing daug

Detained in Dubai founder and CEO, Radha Stirling, leading international expert on Human Rights and legal abuses in the UAE, will be speaking in Washington D.C. at the Frontiers of Freedom conference entitled, “Saudi Arabia & UAE: Regional Adventures & US Interests”. Other speakers at the event include Senator Rand Paul, Congressman Gerry Connolly, and the foundation’s president, George Landrith. “I have noted that the trajectory of the United Arab Emirates has observably vee

Statement from Radha Stirling (CEO of Detained in Dubai): "The announcement that Matthew Hedges has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Abu Dhabi has sent shockwaves through the British and international community as well as the academic community who I have advised to suspend research trips to the Emirates. UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the press he was 'deeply shocked and disappointed', adding that Wednesday's sentencing was 'not what London expected from an all

It has been a bad year for the UAE. First, the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, records a video detailing horrific abuse she and her sister suffered at his hands; then she tries to escape the country. The UAE and India illegally raid the American-registered yacht that was ferrying her to safety, and kidnap all those onboard; all in the name of enforcing Islamic Law in international waters. The UAE is facing a United Nations enquiry into t

Geneva is a long way from the Arabian Gulf, but last Friday, a special closed session of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) heard testimony from witnesses and international experts about the disturbing events surrounding the abduction of Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum off the coast of India. It's been over 6 months since Princess Latifa's distress call on the 4th of March to Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling, when her yacht was brutally attac

Indian media has reported a Dubai court has ruled to extradite British national Christian Michel to India over charges of bribery and corruption. Last July Indian officials traveled to the UAE to request Michel be handed over into Indian custody, in an apparent attempt to override international protocols on extradition. Perhaps in response to this request, the UAE undertook extradition proceedings. Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, and a leading expert on the UAE lega

Detained in Dubai welcomes Amnesty International’s calls for release of Princess Latifa Al Maktoum, daughter of the Ruler of Dubai, who has been detained incommunicado for six months in the UAE after being abducted by Indian and Emirati special forces during an attempt to flee the country to seek asylum in America. Amnesty International, on the 6 month anniversary of Princess Latifa’s disappearance, called on the UAE and Indian governments “to investigate and hold to account

UAE-India raid to capture Princess Latifa is spiralling into a new levels of disregard for legal protocols and International Law, as UAE remains unaccountable. Detained in Dubai who has dealt with more than 10,000 cases of injustice over the past decade, warned that the rogue actions of the UAE and India in raiding a US registered vessel in international waters to capture Princess Latifa Al Maktoum in March of this year, abducting five foreign nationals along with her, includ