46 The Australian Women’s Weekly|MAY 2019
REUTERS. SHUTTERSTOCK.Investigation
“I don’tthinkanyonecancontestthe
truthof it now,ordoubttheseriousness
ofwhat’shappened,”saysRadha,
whogrewupin Melbourneandis the
founderandCEOof thehumanrights
organisation,Detainedin Dubai.“We’re
lookingat a caseofa youngwoman
beingviolentlyabductedbyherown
governmentin internationalwaters.”
ThepressureonDubaitoexplain
itselfandprovideaccesstoLatifais
growing.TheUnitedNations,through
itsWorkingGrouponInvoluntary
Disappearances,hastakenupthe
case,ashaveseveralhumanrights
organisations,includingAmnesty
InternationalandHumanRightsWatch,
andDubai’srelationswithseveral
foreigngovernmentshasbeenstrained.
TheUSStateDepartmentwantsto
knowwhya vesselsailingunderits
flagwasboardedbyforeigntroops,
whiletheBritishgovernmentstillhas
anopenfileontheallegedkidnapping
ofanotherofthesheikh’sdaughters,
PrincessShamsa, 18 yearsago.Shamsa,
then20,slippedoutoftheMaktoums’
vast,guardedestatein Surrey,and
spentsomeweeksin hidingwith
friendsin southLondon.The
following month, she was allegedly
draggedoffa streetin Cambridge,
bundledintoa carandflownoutof
thecountryin a privatejet.
ChiefInspectorDavidBeck,theformer
headof Cambridgecriminalinvestigation
department,sayshisrequesttomake
enquiriesin Dubaiwasturneddown,
andthecasehaslaindormantever
since.Initssoleresponsetothe
Latifaaffair,theroyalfamilyissueda
statementclaimingthattheprincess
hadbeen“kidnapped”byHervéand
his“accomplices”,whohadsoughta
US$100millionransom.It saidthat
shewasnow“safein Dubai”,andthat
bothLatifaandShamsawere“adored
andcherishedbytheirfamily”.
TobyCadman,a Londonbarrister
retainedbythe#FreeLatifacampaign
torepresenttheprincesssays:“There
clearlyhavetobeconsequences.Tina
andHervéhavetherighttotakelegal
actionagainstDubaiin theirown
countries,butbeyondthatthereare
questionsofinternationallawand
bindingtreatiessignedbytheUAE
thatappeartohavebeenflouted,
andthishastobeaddressedtoo.”
SincebecomingDubai’sheadof
state 13 yearsago,SheikhMaktoum
has spent tens of millions of dollars,muchofit withglobalpublicrelations
firms,cultivatinghisimageas a dynamic,
enlightenedruler.Hispersonalwebsite
throbswithtestimonialstohisvarious
accomplishmentsas “TheLeader”,
“ThePoet”,“TheFather”,“The
Visionary”and“ThePhilanthropist”.
Hetravelstheworldasa figurehead
ofprogressand,appreciativeofhis
toughstanceagainstIslamicextremism,
Westerngovernmentshavetendednot
todwellonregularclaimsofhuman
rightsabusesandthelackoffreedom
forwomen.
Forallitsglossypackagingasthe
“HongKongof theMiddleEast”,Dubai
remainsa deeplyconservativesociety,
steepedin thetribaltraditionsthat
shapedtheMaktoumdynastyfromits
beginningsasa wanderingdesertclan.
BritishbusinessmanDavidHaigh,
whowasimprisonedfor 22 monthsin
theemiratebeforebeingacquitted,and
whohasbeenanadvisortothegroup
Detainedin Dubai,says:“Ihaveseen
literallythousandsofpeopleput
throughthehorrorofthejailsystem,
manyofthemphysicallyandsexually
abusedbythepoliceforsimplyholding
thehandoftheirgirlfriend,havinga
drinkin publicor,asin mycase,using
socialmedia.”
Thetouristtrailcomestoanabrupt
stopat thegatesoftheZabeelPalace.
No-oneuninvitedentersandno-one
reallyknowswhathappensinside.
OneoldDubaihandlikenstheplace
toa moviestudio,wherea despotic
directorcreatesillusions,indulgeshis
favourites,andcrushesanyone who
gets in his way.AWWLatifa(left)andsister
Mariamwiththeir
fatherin1999.Right:
thegatesofZabeel
Palace;andthevast
compound.No-one
canenteruninvited
andwhatgoeson
behindthewallsis
shrouded in secrecy.