Dubai Ruler Accused of Ordering Daughter's Abduction and Threatening Ex-Wife... UK Court Ruling Released

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] It was revealed on the 5th (local time) that the reason why the former wife of the ruler of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), suddenly sought asylum in the UK last year was because her husband, the ruler, orchestrated the abduction of their two daughters and threatened her.

According to BBC and other sources, Andrew McFarlane, a judge of the England and Wales Family Court, released a ruling on the same day stating that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai, orchestrated the abduction of Princesses Shamsa and Latifa, and threatened Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, his sixth wife.

This court decision came after Princess Haya fled the UAE in April last year and began a legal battle against her ex-husband in the UK. The asylum rumors of Princess Haya surfaced in the media in July last year. At that time, Princess Haya requested an order from the UK court to prevent abuse from her ex-husband’s threats and applied for guardianship of her 8-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter whom she brought with her. She also requested the court to clarify the facts related to the abduction and forced detention of her ex-husband’s daughters, Princess Shamsa and Princess Latifa.

Judge McFarlane ruled that Princess Shamsa, who was 19 years old in 2000 and living in Cambridge, UK, was forcibly summoned to Dubai and deprived of a significant degree of freedom for the past 20 years. He also confirmed that Princess Latifa, Shamsa’s younger sister, was captured and taken to Dubai twice, in 2002 and 2018. Judge McFarlane explained that Princess Latifa asked a soldier, "If you are going to send me to my family in Dubai, please kill me instead," and that "she desperately wanted to escape from her family and was prepared to take a dangerous path to do so." He also acknowledged that Princess Haya experienced "threats, abuse, and oppression that completely disregarded the rule of law."

After months of legal battles, the UK court recognized Sheikh Mohammed’s 'atrocities' and ruled in favor of Princess Haya. Sheikh Mohammed tried to prevent the disclosure of the UK court’s ruling, but the court rejected his request that morning, leading to the release of the ruling.

Following this, Sheikh Mohammed issued a statement strongly denying the allegations against him, dismissing them as "very personal matters related to the children." He stated that the children were not being protected from media attention and announced his intention to appeal to the Supreme Court to protect the welfare and interests of the children.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.