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A picture that appears to show Princess Latifa, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, alive has been posted on two public Instagram accounts after she had not been seen or heard from in months.
The image is the first time she has been seen in public since secret video messages were shared by the BBC in February.
In those videos, she claimed that she was being held hostage by her father, the ruler of Dubai, and feared for her life.
David Haigh, co-founder of the Free Latifa campaign, said in a statement that he could not confirm the image showed Princess Latifa but added that there had been “positive developments” in efforts to free her.
“We confirm that there have been several potentially significant and positive developments in the campaign,” Mr Haigh said.
“We do not intend to comment further at this stage, a further statement will be issued at the appropriate time.”
Her father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, has repeatedly denied claims that Princess Latifa is in danger.
Latifa came to international attention in 2018 when she revealed that she attempted to escape Dubai but was captured by special forces off the coast of India.
It is not clear when exactly the recently-shared Instagram picture was taken but an advert for the film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, which was released in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 13 May, can be seen in the background.
The facemasks that can be seen on a table in the picture also suggest that it was taken in the last 18 months.
In April, UN advisers demanded that the UAE release Latifa if she is being held against her will and provide more information about her condition.
“We are alarmed that, following the public release in February of footage in which Sheikha Latifa reported being deprived of her liberty against her will, and the subsequent official request for further information on her situation, no concrete information has been provided by the authorities,” the advisers to the UN’s Human Rights Council said in a statement.
“The statement issued by the Emirates authorities’ merely indicating that she was being ‘cared for at home’ is not sufficient at this stage.”
The experts added that they were concerned that her alleged detention could amount to “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”.
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