The confrontation continues between Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai's ruling family, and his ex-wife, former Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast Zeynab Javadli.
Modern.az reports that the Dubai Public Prosecution announced Zeynab Javadli's detention based on the Sheikh's complaint.
The Sheikh claimed that his ex-wife abducted their three children during an official meeting arranged by the court. According to her relatives, contact with Zeynab Javadli was lost from the night of June 2, and no information about her whereabouts was received for nearly two days. She had not left her home for months, fearing that security personnel would take her children and arrest her.
It should be noted that the couple has been fighting for custody of their children for a long time, and both sides mutually accuse each other of child abduction. Lawyers for Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum argued in court that Z. Javadli was an unfit mother, claiming she did not send her daughters to school, lived in unsuitable conditions for children in a hotel, and endangered the health of her youngest daughter. Additionally, Zeynab Javadli could also be arrested on charges of cybercrime for live-streaming one of the confrontation moments on social media last year. At that time, she justified her actions in a video message sent to her lawyer David Haigh: "I knew this was my last chance to be with my children because they would never show them to me again. Because I truly believed this, I went live and asked for help."
The Dubai Public Prosecution announced that the investigation into the matter is ongoing and that necessary legal measures will be taken to protect the children's interests. Human rights defender David Haigh, in turn, called on the UAE leadership to immediately facilitate Zeynab Javadli's meeting with her lawyers, consulate, and family, and to release her.
Tohfa Samad
