Detained in Dubai campaigners staged a protest outside the UAE embassy in London on Monday, calling for the freedom of a "detained" Emirati princess, following her failed attempt to escape alleged imprisonment in the Gulf state.
Detained in Dubai - a UK-based human rights group - is spearheading the #freelatifa campaign, named after the princess who campaigners fear is being held against her will in the UAE.
Activists gathered outside the UAE embassy to hand deliver an urgent UN communication concerning the alleged capture of Sheikha Latifa by Emirati authorities.
"We've knocked on this embassy door many times before and been ignored," said David Haigh, managing partner of Detained in Dubai.
"Now, however, it is the United Nations who are knocking. They cannot be turned away so easily. The UAE authorities must do the right thing and release Latifa."
The document was delivered by Tiina Jauhiaien, a Finnish citizen, who claims she was on board a yacht with Latifa when it was raided in a joint Indian-Emirati operation in March, around 50km off the coast of Goa.
She says she was subsequently detained for two weeks in the Gulf state after the failed escape.
Jauhiainen has detailed the violent operation carried out by Emirati commandos in conjunction with the Indian coastguard to apprehend Sheikha Latifa.
Sheikha Latifa bin Mohammed al-Maktoum, 32, has not been seen or heard from for two months, when in a 40-minute video she made a desperate plea to be saved from imprisonment in the UAE.
Reports suggest that she was "brought back" to the Gulf state, by Emirati authorities.
The royal's friends and family say they are deeply concerned for her safety, suspecting that Latifa is being detained in the UAE.
Earlier this month, leading rights group Human Rights Watch demanded Emirati authorities reveal the whereabouts of Sheikha Latifa.
The princess had previously revealed rampant torture and abuse at the hands of her father Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum.
"UAE authorities should immediately reveal the whereabouts of Sheikha Latifa, confirm her status, and allow her contact with the outside world," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
"If she is detained she needs to be given the rights all detainees should have, including being taken before an independent judge."
#FreeLatifa - if the ruler’s daughter has been subjected to torture and human rights abuses, what can women expect from the #UAE? https://t.co/igFdk4peuc
— Detained in Dubai (@detainedindubai) May 9, 2018
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