Escape from Dubai: The mystery of the missing princess

[SoulSaver]

I've just watched this on BBC 2 and it is shocking. It looks into the disappearance of Sheikha Latifa, daughter of Sheikh Mohammed, who hasn't been seen or heard of since March this year.

Even though we're aware of the human rights abuses carried out in the Gulf countries, especially against women, to see it demonstrated on a personal level like this really hits it home. The worst thing is that nothing can or will be done about it.

Very depressing for a Thursday night!

[OvaHere]

Just watched this on Iplayer. Horrifying. I knew about Haya seeking asylum in London but not about the older daughter from 2000. That wasn't mentioned in the program.

I was also unimpressed with Mary Robinson falling for nonsense about bipolar disorder. She has had a change of heart since but it's a bit too late.

I hope Latifa is eventually able to find asylum in another country but I'm not optimistic nor am I optimistic about the chances of her still being alive.

[EachandEveryone]

Does anyone know why theyve been dissappeared?

[BigSkyLife]

Parts of it here.
www.wtkr.com/2018/12/04/for-7-years-she-plotted-her-escape-from-caged-luxury/

[BigSkyLife]

@TableDesk - you should be able to find a video online that Latifa made before she attempted to escape outlining what had happened to Shamsa.

[CaraDuneRedux]

@TableDesk

Just really bumping this thread on the back of the BBC Panorama programme aired tonight. I remember following this case way back in 2018. Cannot believe there is still no resolution on freeing Latifa even with all the human rights progressions in 2021

Shocking

Similarly, I've seen newspaper reports over the last 3 years. My opinion of Mary Robinson nose dived when she colluded in the cover up a year or so ago.

[TableDesk]

@ValancyRedfern

What surprises me is that anyone is surprised by this. As if we needed any more evidence that UAE treats women appallingly.

I cannot see the appeal of travelling here for holidays giving the treatment they even subject their own too

[TableDesk]

I would say there's a pretty big bounty on her head but hopefully with bringing it back into the public eye, will help their case.

Do you have any other recommended reads on the Princess Shamsa disappearance? I am astonished it happened in the UK as my ignorance lead it to believe it was foreign snatch and grab, like Princess Latifa's.

Side note, Haya is beautiful, what did she ever see in Him
I thought it was 6 wives and 30 children, however the programme said 25 children. Suppose he wouldn't mind to loose a few

[ValancyRedfern]

What surprises me is that anyone is surprised by this. As if we needed any more evidence that UAE treats women appallingly.

[BigSkyLife]

I believe that was Haya’s daughter. One of the reason’s she fled to England, was that once she realised what had happened with Shamsa and Latifa, she knew she had to protect her own children.
I’m actually surprised he hasn’t had her disappeared too.

[TableDesk]

I also missed the first few minutes. From my knowledge, it was never acknowledged on the programme. I only know of it from looking in further.
There was a crypt line when the horse racing part was on that he was able to magic up another daughter at will (or something similar)
Seeing him with the Queen, the Pope and god knows who else, just shows how deep these can run. Don't even get me started on Mary
I'd like to know whether Tiina and Haya have had contact, plus that of Shamsa

[BigSkyLife]

The missed the start, did they not mention that he had another daughter, Princess Shamsa, snatched off the streets of Cambridge in 2000, and hasn’t been seen in public in the last 21 years?

[TableDesk]

Just really bumping this thread on the back of the BBC Panorama programme aired tonight. I remember following this case way back in 2018. Cannot believe there is still no resolution on freeing Latifa even with all the human rights progressions in 2021

Shocking

[Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow]

I think that people who work and holiday in these places just don’t give a rats arse.

They are the same people who drink from take away cups without a moments thought and but mountains of plastic shite for their kids at Xmas.

[Procne]

MrsGrollach, the only time I encountered such dubiousness tended to be construction workers on public beaches. I was feeling sorry for one guy standing by himself and apparently staring out to sea God knows, you would need a heart of stone not to feel sorry for construction workers in Dubai until I realised that he was wanking while staring at an oblivious sunbathing tourist in a bikini, after which I felt less sorry for him.

I still have contacts there and they have/had no idea the evil-ness.

Honestly, I find that hard to believe. I only lived there for less than two years myself, and wasn't particularly political, or remotely well-connected -- I had no Emirati friends, and DH was working in Abu Dhabi. But my sense was that even the thoroughly settled professional expat Brits I met socially, who had committed to a country that was paying them well and weren't the types to look a gift horse in the mouth, knew that there was a lot going on that didn't get reported, even if they dismissed it as 'not my circus, not my monkeys'.

[MrsGollach]

@Brocade, I lived and worked there for a short time so I sort of know how it works. I still have contacts there and they have/had no idea the evil-ness. He has incredible PR because of his wealth. He can do anything.

He can make his daughters disappear.

I had no idea. My friends in Dubai in good jobs (so intelligent people) had no idea.

I left Dubai and don't ever want to return. Nothing bad happened to me apart from an arab (in full gear) wanking infront of me, exposing his tiny dick.

In Europe I would have reported that to the police. I knew I couldn't in Dubai as I would have, probably, been arrested.

[Brocade]

MrsGrollach, it’s less that he’s got good PR than that there isn’t press freedom, and huge fines can be imposed on material that disparages the UAE, its president or its government. No one can publish anything critical of the Al Makhtoums inside Dubai.

[MrsGollach]

Thanks for highlighting this documentary. I watched it last night on catch-up. So much evilness and so unbelievably sad in this day and age.

Her father has a "good" reputation in Dubai so obviously has a great PR team working for him.

[juneau]

I would never set foot in any of the UAE and cannot understand anyone who blithely goes there on holiday. Fucking horrible place, built with the blood of slaves, where woman are chattels and tourists can be locked up for years for kissing in public, wearing or saying the wrong thing.

[AngryAttackKittens]

In the sense that if the company you work for transfers you then your choices might be say OK or quit. Which although not much of an excuse is a better one than "it looked very shiny and there were big hotels with poolside drinks service".

[juneau]

It was horrific to watch wasn't it? Her older sister has been drugged and imprisoned by her father since 2000 as well!!! I have zero faith that anything can or will be done though. Human rights abuses are tolerated left and right by western governments in favour of keeping these despots on side. No one is prepared to sanction Saudi over the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, the British govt has been aware of the older sister's plight for almost two decades and can't/won't actually do anything about it. Latifa was right that her only hope was to get out of Dubai, but now she's back there, even if she is still alive, no one can do anything to help.

[BeanBagLady]

“The people who work there as expats arguably kind of have to be there “

Sorry, which European expats have to be there?

There is a big difference between them and the migrant labour used as domestic servants, construction workers, manual labourers etc.

[AngryAttackKittens]

There are many other places with sunshine and beaches to go on holiday. Pick one of them instead. The people who work there as expats arguably kind of have to be there (though could of course refuse and get a different job if they're the from a wealthy country sort of expat), but nobody actually needs to go there on holiday.

There was a Saudi princess who was publicly executed for having a (probably never consummated) affair with a man, so although I hope Latifa is OK I'm not feeling very optimistic.

[MinesaBottle]

I didn’t know that about Rashid - that’s horrific. It’s bloody frightening that even royal status won’t protect you in the UAE if you step out of line and do something to pull back the curtain on the PR image.

[Brocade]

Minesabottle, I don’t think that’s entirely true. There have long been rumours about disappearances, punishments, house arrests etc of male royals, too.

Sheikh Rashid (Latifa’s half-brother, I think — there are a lot of wives, so I get confused), who died, supposedly of a heart attack, a couple of years ago, but was apparently a drug addict who was removed from being Crown Prince for (leaked via Wikileaks) killing an assistant in a fit of steroid rage — not handed over to the authorities, but was not seen in public again for the last seven years of his life, references to him removed from the internet etc.

Obviously the big difference is that more latitude is allowed to sons in terms of bad behaviour, often outside the UAE.

[Katvonblackdeath]

Just watched it

Disgusting