Leading, British human rights barristers call on the US Government to demand the Dubai Government immediately release American Zack Shahin.

14 October 2021 – 

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International campaign to expose Expo2020Dubai ‘launched as 70+ Human rights NGOs slam high-profile world fair while host nation systematically abuses human rights

LONDON , 1 October 2021 – 

A group of leading human rights non-governmental organisations has slammed the Expo 2020 Dubai which opens today, saying the world should not be dealing with a host country that systematically abuses human rights, including committing war crimes in Yemen and imprisoning UAE human rights campaigners who object to the state’s Human rights violation.

The world expo, delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, runs until 31 March 2022, with 192 countries having confirmed participation. But the NGOs say the staging of the expo in Dubai is “hypocrisy” due to the human rights abuses perpetrated by the regime both within Dubai and in other states, and it means participants are breaching their corporate social responsibility policies or human rights legislation by taking part.

A letter signed by more than 70 organizations to the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan calls on the Emirati authorities to “release all imprisoned human rights defenders and activists detained in violation of their right to freedom of expression, and to comply with international standards for prisoners, including by allowing regular family visits, access to healthcare and regular consultations with their lawyers, and ending the practice of holding them in solitary confinement.”

Human rights lawyer and campaigner David Haigh, who himself spent 22 months jailed without charge in Dubai and today heads up the advocacy and assistance NGO Detained International, said, “All the sweet words about tolerance, respecting human rights and basic decency that come from the words of politicians and company CEOs mean nothing when they take part in this sham of a trade fair.

“There are innocent campaigners being held in Dubai jails whose only crime is to have highlighted the regime’s human rights abuses, and the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been found guilty in foreign courts of serious human rights abuses, in addition to kidnapping two of his daughters, one from UK soil. Yet the world continues to turn a blind eye – participants at Expo 2020 Dubai are dancing on the graves of those murdered by the state and on remnants of the lives of those being held without trial in squalid prisons.”

Detained International has today launched a 6-month campaign “#ExposeTheExpo” – to highlight the injustices and human rights violations the trade fair’s hosts are attempting to hide from the world, the participants, and visitors to Expo2020Dubai. The campaign will contact each of the participants and high-profile supporters one by one to evidence the gross human rights violation in Dubai and the wider UAE and the hypocrisy of their attendance at the world trade fair.

Detained International launched the campaign by publishing a set of powerful advertising placards that portray Sheikh Mohammed as a criminal. One shows him in his Royal Ascot top hat and tails with the words “Wanted: for crimes against humanity”, while another has the word “Liar” and “Kidnapper” under the expo’s slogan “Expo2020Dubai wants to shape the future”.

The NGOs’ letter highlights the cases of nine people being held in Dubai. Four are political prisoners who have served their sentences but continue to be held behind bars, three are pro-democracy human rights lawyers from the UAE94 movement, one is a prominent human rights activist, and one is an academic.

Haigh added, “There are plenty more we could have added. Detained International is currently fighting for the freedom of many detainees in Dubai, including Zack Shahin, an American who successfully built and ran leading Dubai property developer, Deyaar. When Zack wanted to leave Deyaar and return home to America to focus on his children he was made the scape goat in a political power struggle that saw a senior member of the ruler’s court effectively commandeer the company.  To stop Zack talking he has been set up and held in prison for nearly 14 years without charge. Zack who has been on hunger strike twice faces dying in prison.

“This is typical for Dubai, yet the world still turns up at its party. No-one should believe a word of anything any of the attendees says about supporting human rights and the rule of law, because they are conniving in this appalling catalogue of blatant abuses and the continued attempts of Dubai to fool the world.”

End

 About Detained International: Detained international is a legal advocacy NGO that provides pro bono legal advocacy to victims of injustice, inequality and other human rights violations in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and wider Middle East.

Headquartered in London and Washington DC, Detained International was founded in 2018 by UAE torture victim David Haigh, a prominent human rights lawyer and justice and equality advocate. Detained International exists to help people in their hour of need, in many cases when they have been locked up far from home for no legitimate or even apparent reason and lack the support from obvious channels like their national embassy.

Press Contact

 David Haigh / Peter Margetts            

Detained International

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+ 44 (0) 752 707 7777                                   

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Twitter:                       @DetainedIntl

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LONDON The United Nations is being urged to take ‘decisive action’ to protect Princess Latifa Al Maktoum of Dubai who is now in ‘grave danger’ at the hands of her father, the ruler of Dubai. The remarkable kidnapping of the 34-year-old princess by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for daring to leave Dubai against his wishes caught the world’s attention after Indian and Emirati troops stormed the boat Latifa and her friend Tiina Jauhiainen were on after Latifa’s escape from Dubai in February 2018. Yet despite worldwide publicity and an award-winning BBC documentary, the princess remains held against her will in Dubai. She has not been seen in public since the boat was stormed on 4 March 2018. Now the princess’s legal team is ramping up the pressure by calling on the 122nd session of the UN Working group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) to get the UN to intervene and force Dubai to provide precise details of Latifa’s whereabouts without delay. In the recent submission to the WGEID meeting, leading human rights QC Rodney Dixon concludes: “We are anxious to ensure that the UN takes all possible steps now to secure the safety, health and release of [Princess Latifa].” And urges the UN to “take decisive action in respect of this case which has gone on for a considerable period of time while Princess Latifa remains in grave danger”. Latifa’s high-powered legal team based in London also filed a 76-page submission to the UN WGEID Working Group at its last session earlier in the year which concluded, “Given the heightened and substantiated endangerment of Princess Latifa, we request the WGEID urgently intervene to guarantee Princess Latifa’s safety and welfare and to ensure that she is released immediately from being detained unlawfully in the UAE by the UAE authorities.” The submission set out the ruling by Sir Andrew McFarlane at England’s High Court in the custody battle between Princess Haya of Jordan and Latifa’s father. That ruling included the findings that Latifa was kidnapped in 2018 and her father, the ruler of Dubai, was not “open or honest” when trying to assure the world that Latifa was safe in his care. Jones and Dixon are asking the UN to consider evidence from the London hearing, which warrants that:

• the WGEID’s investigation be given an urgent status
• the UN promptly require the UAE authorities immediately to provide precise details of Latifa’s whereabouts
• the UN promptly direct the UAE authorities to provide concrete and genuine guarantees for Latifa’s safety and welfare, including by providing immediate access to her, wherever she is held
• all necessary steps are urgently initiated for the UN to intervene and protect Latifa from all violations of her human rights, in particular, to direct that she is released immediately by the UAE authorities from her captivity.

Alun Jones QC said“We welcome the findings of Sir Andrew McFarlane relating to Princess Latifa. The judgment reflects the tireless work of Tiina Jauhiainen and David Haigh, whose efforts to free Princess Latifa and to assist Princess Haya been recognized by the High Court. “It is a matter of grave concern that now that an English court has found that Princess Latifa and her sister Princess Shamsa have suffered from abduction, mistreatment and arbitrary imprisonment, the UK Government has nothing to say. Rodney Dixon QC added “It is most concerning that despite the High Court judgment on 5 March 2020 finding that Princess Latifa had been kidnapped, and worldwide calls for the urgent release of Latifa, she remains in captivity. Her fundamental human rights are being unjustifiably restricted and abused. The international community can no longer stand by.  “We are petitioning the UN Working Groups on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances and on Arbitrary Detention and other bodies to get access to her without delay and to ensure that she is released unharmed. “It is vital more than ever now that the UN should take all necessary action to secure Latifa’s immediate release having been unlawfully held in the UAE for over two years.” David Haigh said, “The judgment from the High Court in London was emphatic. It’s now crucial that this evidence and the judgment of the highest family court judge in England, is used to bring about real change, starting with guarantees about Latifa’s safety, and – within the shortest possible time and the right circumstances – her release from captivity. “The wagons are now circling around the embattled regime in Dubai. In the months since the London judgment, numerous people have indicated they will distance themselves from the toxic Al-Maktoum dynasty, including the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II. It’s now time for the UN to add its considerable weight to the fight against the human rights abuses being perpetrated by the UAE regime.” Tiina Jauhiainen said “The recent submission is the culmination of two years of dedicated hard work that began whilst I was still detained in the UAE national security jail after I was kidnaped alongside Latifa. “Since our initial submissions to the UN David and I have attended multiple sessions of the WGEID, most recently in Geneva with Latifa’s barrister Rodney Dixon in September 2019 and February 2020. It is to the UN that we now look to safeguard Latifa’s fundamental human rights as set down in the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights, to secure her safety and her freedom.” -Ends- Notes to Editors The judge in the London case of Princess Haya, Sir Andrew McFarlane, found that Latifa “was plainly desperate to extricate herself from her family and prepared to undertake a dangerous mission in order to do so” and that “there is no ground for doubting that it was indeed Latifa’s settled ambition to escape from Dubai.” The court also found that the actions of Sheikh Mohammed “demonstrate a consistent course of conduct over two decades where, if he deems it necessary to do so, the father [Sheikh Mohammed] will use the very substantial powers at his disposal to achieve his particular aims” and that Sheikh Mohammed “continues to maintain a regime whereby both of these two young women [Latifa and her sister Shamsa] are deprived of their liberty, albeit within family accommodation in Dubai.” The court ruled against Sheikh Mohammed in a custody battle he fought with his estranged wife Sheikha Haya over their two children. It found he had not been “open or honest” with the court over its assurances in January 2019 that Latifa was “safe and in the loving care of her family … and never has been arrested or detained.” About Free Latifa Princess Latifa stands for every person, especially every woman, who is held against their will when they have done nothing wrong. The Free Latifa Campaign is run by Latifa’s family, closest friends, supporters and advisors. It is headed by Latifa’s best friend Tiina Jauhiainen as Campaign Director, a human rights lawyer and campaigner David Haigh, Latifa’s cousin Marcus Essabri, and Latifa’s close friends Stephania Martinengo and Marco Remes. The campaign also benefits from the support of Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Detained International and a growing number of Latifa’s family, supporters, media, lawyers, politicians and celebrities around the world. The campaign is about positivity and love, we have one goal, to #FreeLatifa. Updates on the campaign can be found on www.freelatifa.com Press Contact Tiina Jauhiainen and David Haigh Campaign to Free Latifa Email:                          latifa@freelatifa.com Telephone:                  + 44 (0) 203 900 1188 Twitter:                       @freelatifa Facebook:                   @freelatifa Instagram:                  @freelatifa

THE United Nations is being urged to take “decisive action” to protect “imprisoned” Princess Latifa of Dubai who lawyers believe is in “grave danger” at the hands of her billionaire father. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum “ordered and orchestrated” the kidnapping of his daughter two years ago after she fled the country he rules, according to a judgement by the UK High Court in March. Yet despite worldwide publicity and her plight being featured in an award-winning BBC documentary – Escape from Dubai: The Mystery of a Missing Princess – she is still being held against her will in her homeland. She has not been seen in public since the luxury yacht she was staying on with a friend was stormed by commandos in the Indian Ocean in March 2018. In a 40 minute video, Latifa revealed she had previously tried to leave the Emirates aged 16 but was captured at the border, jailed for three years, beaten and tortured. The UAE insists that Latifa is alive, safe and living with her family in Dubai. Now the princess’s legal team is calling on the UN Working group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) to get the UN to order Dubai to provide exact details of Latifa’s whereabouts. In a submission to the WGEID, leading human rights QC Rodney Dixon declared: “We are anxious to ensure that the UN  takes all possible steps now to secure the safety, health and release of [Princess Latifa].” And he urged the UN to “take decisive action in respect of this case which has gone on for a considerable period of time while Princess Latifa remains in grave danger”. Latifa’s UK-based legal team also filed a 76-page submission to the WGEID earlier in the year which called for the immediate release of the royal. That submission set out the ruling by Sir Andrew McFarlane at the High Court in the custody battle between Princess Haya of Jordan and Latifa’s father. That ruling included the findings that Latifa, 34, was kidnapped in 2018 and her father was not “open or honest” when trying to assure the world that Latifa was safe in his care. It also found the sheikh waged a campaign of “fear and intimidation” against his sixth wife Princess Haya, who recently fled to Britain fearing he would kill her. Rodney Dixon QC said: “It is most concerning that despite the High Court judgement finding that Princess Latifa had been kidnapped, and worldwide calls for the urgent release of Latifa, she remains in captivity. “Her fundamental human rights are being unjustifiably restricted and abused. The international community can no longer stand by. “We are petitioning the UN Working Groups on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances and on Arbitrary Detention and other bodies to get access to her without delay and to ensure that she is released unharmed. “It is vital more than ever now that the UN should take all necessary action to secure Latifa’s immediate release having been unlawfully held in the UAE for over two years.” Lawyer David Haigh, of the #FreeLatifa campaign, added: “The wagons are now circling around the embattled regime in Dubai. “In the months since the London judgement, numerous people have indicated they will distance themselves from the toxic Al-Maktoum dynasty, including the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II. “It’s now time for the UN to add its considerable weight to the fight against the human rights abuses being perpetrated by the UAE regime.” Tiina Jauhiainen, the Finnish best friend of Latifa, who was kidnapped alongside her, said the new submission was the result of two years of dedicated hard work that began while she was still detained in the UAE.

• Afsana Lachaux spent eight years battling for custody of youngest child Louis
• She currently sees him for six hours a year in an approved contact centre 
• Ms Lachaux now ordered to pay her former partner’s legal costs of £93,867.96

A British mother who fought the Sharia courts in Dubai for access to her son faces having to sell her home – after a UK judge ordered her to pay nearly £100,000 towards her ex-husband’s legal costs.

• Sheikha Zeynab Javadli uploaded a series of videos to Instagram on Thursday
• She posted during what appeared to be a ‘raid’ by people linked to her husband 
• The 29-year-old married Sheikh Al Maktoum, 43, in 2015 but are now separated

The wife of a prominent Sheikh from Dubai’s royal family has posted a harrowing video pleading for help crying that she has been persecuted since leaving him nine months ago with officials trying to snatch her three children.

Sheikha Zeynab Javadli made the startling revelations in a series of moving videos to her 15,000 Instagram followers on Thursday morning during what appeared to be a ‘raid’ by people linked to her husband Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the nephew of the current ruler of Dubai.

Ms Javadli is a former Azerbaijani gymnast and World and European Championship medallist.

 

Sheikha Zeynab Javadli (pictured with one of her daughters), the wife of a prominent Sheikh from Dubai’s royal family, has posted a harrowing video pleading for help crying that she has been persecuted since leaving him nine months ago

Her parents have also been living with her since the separation from her powerful husband, a former Olympic shooter who has two other wives and 11 children in total.

In the graphic video, a clearly distressed Ms Javadli, 29, can be heard speaking about people she alleges are linked to her husband entering her home.

She cries: ‘I can’t give my children up to strangers. This is how they are dealing with me. There’s no law.’

She wails: ‘The manager of the Sheikh was doing all this stuff to me. No one tried to help me, they said “this is a Sheikh issue, we can’t do anything.”‘

A young child can also be heard in the heart-breaking video saying: ‘You can’t take us anywhere,’ as people can be seen in the background gathered in the courtyard of the villa.

A distraught Ms Javadli adds: ‘No, food, no water, no nothing. Persecuted for nine months. They will break my door and snatch my children.’

She also complains that her mobile phone, which contained ‘evidence’ of the harassment she has suffered was also taken from her.

Ms Javadli’s plight has been compared to that of Princess Haya the former wife of the billionaire ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

She fled to London two years ago, along with her two children, telling friends she was in fear of her life.

A High Court judgment later ruled that she was the victim of attempted abduction, forced return, torture and a campaign of intimidation.

Ms Javadli’s friends fear that she may have been ‘detained’ as there has no communication from her since her Instagram posts, despite repeated attempts to contact her.

The whereabouts of her children are also unknown, and sources have also alleged that her parents may have been arrested.

One friend told MailOnline: ‘She had to lock herself in a room because they tried to take her children away from her and return them to the palace. We are all very worried because we haven’t heard from Zeynab for several hours.

‘She has suffered a lot over the past nine months. She wants to leave Dubai with her children and live a freer life.

‘I really hope that she is safe but there is nobody who can help her. Zeynab even contacted the Azerbaijan embassy for assistance but they said there’s nothing they can do.’

‘She’s determined to leave Dubai with her children but there is no way the Sheikh is going to allow this to happen.’

David Haigh, a human rights lawyer from Detained International, which campaigns on behalf of those suffering from human rights abuses in Dubai and other countries said: ‘We were aware of Zeynab’s case for some time. Some women in this situation have managed to escape but sadly, the majority don’t.

‘In Dubai, royal women and women in general are treated very badly. They are denied their human rights and not allowed to live how they want. Zeynab is a member of the royal family who is being persecuted.

‘She is facing intimidation and isolation and I’m afraid that it’s not going to end good for her.’

The Dubai Media Office and the Communications Office of the UAE London Embassy have been contacted for comment.

Leading Spanish newspaper El País covered the case of Princess Latifa on 3^rd June 2020. The article discussed the 4^th instalment of the award-winning news show 60 minutes Australia with updates on the campaign to free Latifa and news about her stepmother, Princess Haya of Jordan’s custody case in the English courts.

FreeLatifa campaign co-founder, Human Rights lawyer David Haigh was interviewed by El Pais on his work for Princess Latifa and other Emirati women.

The full article in Spanish can be read here: https://elpais.com/gente/2020-06-02/otra-joven-princesa-pide-ayuda-para-escapar-de-dubai.html