Dubai Ruler’s Nephew’s Ex-Wife Missing, Attorney Asserts

A British human rights attorney reports that Zeynab Javadli, the former spouse of a nephew to the ruler of Dubai, has disappeared. Communication with Javadli ceased on Tuesday, and according to information received by the BBC, her residence in Dubai is now locked and vacant. Javadli has frequently voiced fears regarding her personal safety. Her absence occurs amidst a protracted and acrimonious legal struggle over child custody involving her ex-husband, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Despite the BBC’s attempts to reach various UAE officials for comment, no responses have been provided as of the current time. The alarm was raised by Javadli’s friends after their attempts to contact her via phone and message on Tuesday went unanswered. David Haigh, a British lawyer and activist, stated that his last conversation with Javadli took place on Tuesday evening. Since that point, he described her as having "vanished." Neither Javadli nor her three young daughters have been seen or heard from since. Haigh informed the BBC that authorities have failed to provide "a single answer" regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.

Javadli’s mother, who had recently traveled to Dubai for a visit, went to her daughter’s home and discovered the property empty with the locks changed. She is reported to have contacted both Dubai police and the Azerbaijani consulate, as Javadli is a citizen of Azerbaijan. For several months prior to this incident, Javadli had remained largely indoors, fearing that security personnel were waiting to seize her children and potentially arrest her.

The custody dispute escalated last year when her ex-husband filed a police complaint accusing Javadli of kidnapping their daughters. This followed a series of incidents where the children moved between parents, with each party alleging the other had committed kidnapping. Additionally, Javadli, a former international gymnast, faced potential arrest for online offenses in the UAE after she livestreamed one of these confrontations the previous year. In a video message to Haigh, who has been advocating on her behalf, she explained her decision: "I knew that it was the last chance to be with my children as they would never let me see them again. I genuinely believed that it was my last chance, so I just opened a livestream and called for help."

During court hearings concerning the custody of their children, lawyers representing Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum have alleged that Javadli is an unfit mother. They claim she failed to enroll her daughters in school, housed them in an inappropriate hotel environment, and endangered the health of the youngest child. Javadli has denied these allegations, and her Emirati legal counsel has presented counter-evidence in court.

Haigh notes that the present situation mirrors events from five years ago, when he lost contact with Princess Latifa, the daughter of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In 2018, Princess Latifa attempted to flee what she described as coercive control by her family. Her escape vessel was intercepted in the Indian Ocean, and she was forcibly returned to Dubai. She subsequently released secret videos claiming she was being held against her will, though she has since made limited public appearances stating she is well and living freely. Haigh, who previously campaigned for Princess Latifa, has issued an urgent appeal for the international community to demand clarity on Javadli’s location and condition.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-06-04 18:01:54 UTC