Dubai: Woman from โคRuling Family Pleads for Help, Fears Arrest and Loss of Children
A woman from Dubai’s ruling Al Maktoum family is publiclyโข appealing for international assistance, fearing โimminent โขarrest and the potential loss of her two โฃdaughters to her ex-husband. The case โechoesโค previous, high-profile disputes involving members of the Dubai royal familyโ and raisesโ concerns โabout the legal treatment โof women andโค children โฃwithin โขthe United Arab Emirates.
The woman, identified only as Javadli, alleges her ex-husband, Saeed โฃAl Maktoum, โคhas reported her for taking their daughters without hisโ permission – an act considered illegal in Dubai. She claims โshe entered into โa โprivate โฃagreement with Sheikhโฃ mohammed โคbin Rashid al Maktoum,the ruler of Dubai and โSaeed’s father,allowing her daughters toโข remain with her,provided she remain publicly silent aboutโฃ their dispute. This arrangement, brokered out of “love for her children,” is now threatened, and Javadli fears arrest at any time. The case highlights a pattern of alleged control and legal โขdisadvantage faced by women, particularly thoseโข in conflictโ with powerful menโค from the rulingโ family.
The situationโฃ mirrorsโข the 2019 case of Princess Haya bint al โHussein, an ex-wife of Sheikh Mohammed, who fled โขto Great Britain and successfully wonโ aโข custody battle forโฃ her โขchildren. during that trial, evidenceโ emerged โrevealingโค the โฃruler had used hacking software to spy โขon โhisโ former spouse.
According to David Haigh,a lawyer who has represented severalโข women connected to the ruling family,”Womenโ and their children in Dubai โare not treated like humanโ beings,but like personal property.” Haigh, who claims to have beenโ arrested, tortured, and โคabused inโ Dubai himself, warns of the potential for Javadli and her daughters to be subjected toโข similar treatment.
So far, authoritiesโ in Dubaiโฃ and Saeed Al โฃMaktoum have not responded to media inquiries regarding Javadli’s claims. Theโ outcome of this case โขcould set a precedent for future disputesโฃ involving the Al Maktoum family โand further illuminate the challenges โfaced by women navigating โคthe legal system inโค Dubai.