Ex-wife of Dubai ruler's nephew missing, says lawyer

A British quality rights lawyer says the erstwhile woman of a nephew of the ruler of Dubai has gone missing.

Contact with Zeynab Javadli was mislaid connected Tuesday and the BBC has been told her location successful Dubai is locked and empty.

Javadli has repeatedly expressed interest for her safety. She's been embroiled for years successful a bitter custody conflict with her ex-husband, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The BBC has contacted a fig of officials successful the UAE for remark but has received nary effect arsenic of yet.

Friends of Javadli raised the alarm erstwhile their telephone calls and messages received nary reply connected Tuesday.

The British lawyer and activist, David Haigh, said helium past spoke to Javadli connected Tuesday night. Since that moment, helium said, she has "vanished".

Neither she nor her 3 young daughters person been seen oregon heard from since.

He told the BBC no-one successful authorization has fixed a "single answer" arsenic to what mightiness person happened to her.

Javadli's parent - who had conscionable arrived successful Dubai for a sojourn - has since gone to her location and recovered it empty, with the locks changed.

She is understood to person been successful interaction with constabulary successful Dubai and the consulate of Azerbaijan - the state Javadli is from.

For months, Javadli had hardly near the location arsenic she believed information officers were waiting to instrumentality her children from her and perchance enactment her nether arrest.

Last year, her ex-husband lodged a ailment with the constabulary accusing her of kidnapping their daughters, successful the latest improvement of their bitter custody dispute.

That was aft the children changed hands betwixt their parents respective times, with each accusing the different of kidnap.

Javadli - who is simply a erstwhile planetary gymnast - has besides been facing imaginable apprehension for e-crimes - online offences - successful the UAE aft she livestreamed 1 of the showdowns past year.

At the clip she explained her actions successful a video connection to Haigh, who's been advocating for her: "I knew that it was the past accidental to beryllium with my children arsenic they would ne'er fto maine spot them again. I genuinely believed that it was my past chance, truthful I conscionable opened a livestream and called for help."

Lawyers acting for Javadli's erstwhile husband, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, person claimed successful tribunal hearings successful the custody lawsuit implicit their children that she was an unfit parent who had failed to nonstop her daughters to school, was surviving successful a spot unsuitable for the children erstwhile she was successful a hotel, and that she had enactment the wellness of the youngest miss astatine risk.

Javadli rejected the accusations and her Emirati ineligible squad submitted grounds to the contrary successful court.

Haigh says the existent concern bears a "deeply troubling resemblance" to 5 years ago, erstwhile his communications were chopped disconnected with Princess Latifa, 1 of the daughters of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Princess Latifa mounted a bid for state successful 2018 from what astatine the clip she claimed was her family's coercive control.

The vessel connected which she was making her flight was intercepted successful the Indian Ocean and she was forcibly returned to Dubai. She past claimed she was being held captive successful concealed videos.

She has since re-emerged to a constricted grade successful public, saying she was good and surviving arsenic she wished.

Haigh, who campaigned astatine the clip for Princess Latifa, said helium has issued an urgent telephone for the planetary assemblage to request confirmation of Javadli's whereabouts and welfare.