The ex-wife of a member of Dubai’s ruling family says she fears being arrested after her former husband filed a criminal complaint accusing her of abducting their three young daughters.
Zeynab Javadli has been locked in a bitter custody dispute with her ex-husband, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the nephew of Dubai’s ruler, since their divorce in 2019.

The conflict reached a breaking point in recent weeks as custody shifted multiple times between both parents, with each side accusing the other of kidnapping. Javadli now faces potential charges under cybercrime laws after livestreaming the latest confrontation online.

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Mother Claims Last-Ditch Livestream Was Her Only Chance to Reach Children

In her broadcast, Javadli told her British lawyer, David Haigh, that she believed it was her “last chance” to see her daughters again. Speaking from her home in Dubai, she said she and her children have been isolated since being returned to her care after several weeks with their father.

Javadli says she previously held physical custody under a 2022 agreement she claims was reached with Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The arrangement allegedly guaranteed custody until the children turned 18, along with housing support and covered schooling costs.

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Court Ruling Shifts Custody as Both Sides Accuse Each Other of Abduction

A later court decision granted custody to Sheikh Saeed, though Javadli maintains she was assured that the earlier agreement would remain in place. The situation changed two months ago when, during a scheduled visit, she says Dubai police informed her the girls would not be returning.

After weeks without contact, she was granted a three-hour supervised visit at a child protection center on November 8. According to her account, she found the children outside the building and took them into her car as they cried for her to bring them home. Vehicles linked to her ex-husband allegedly blocked her path, prompting her to start a livestream despite knowing she risked arrest.

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Sheikh Saeed’s Legal Team Presents Opposing Version and New Allegations

Court documents submitted by Sheikh Saeed describe a completely different scenario, accusing Javadli of forcibly placing the children in her vehicle and abducting them with the help of her driver. She also faces accusations of defamation, insulting her former husband, and violating UAE laws by posting videos online.

Previous legal filings claimed Javadli was unfit to parent, alleging she failed to send her daughters to school and lived in unsuitable accommodation. Javadli rejects the accusations, and her UAE-based legal team says they have presented evidence disproving the claims.

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Other High-Profile Royal Cases Raise Questions About Women’s Rights in Dubai

David Haigh says Javadli’s experience mirrors other cases involving former spouses or female relatives of Dubai’s ruling family. He previously assisted women in similar situations, though none related to Sheikh Saeed directly.

Past high-profile cases include Princess Haya, who left the UAE in 2019 fearing for her safety and later won full custody in a UK court. Another was Princess Latifa, daughter of Dubai’s ruler, who attempted to flee by sea in 2018 before being intercepted and returned, later appearing in limited public settings.

While Dubai promotes itself as a place that empowers women professionally and socially, Javadli and Haigh argue that her case reveals a more complex reality beneath the city’s polished image. Javadli says she has not left her home for fear of arrest, and her daughters—aged nine, seven, and six—have not attended school since the incident. UAE officials contacted for comment have not responded.

usanewstoday.net