On 4 June 2026, British human‑rights lawyer David Haigh reported that Zeynab Javadli had gone missing after attempts to contact her failed.
Javadli was formerly married to Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a nephew of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The disappearance has arisen amid the pair’s long‑standing custody fight over their three daughters.
Haigh said that the last contact was made on Tuesday night. Since then, the girl’s home in Dubai was found locked, empty, and its doors had been changed. Her mother, who had recently arrived in the city, also reported that the house was vacant and that no official explanations had been provided by local police or the UAE authorities.
Javadli has repeatedly expressed fear for her safety, claiming that security officers might take her children or arrest her. In 2025 her ex‑husband filed police accusations that she had kidnapped their daughters; the allegation was part of a bitter legal battle in which Javadli’s lawyers argued that she was an unsuitable mother. She has also faced potential electronic‑crime charges in the UAE after livestreaming a confrontation in 2023.
In a video message to Haigh she explained that she believed the livestream was her only opportunity to appeal for help, saying, “I knew that it was the last chance to be with my children as they would never let me see them again.”
Haigh has highlighted that the current situation bears a “deeply troubling resemblance” to the 2018 escape attempt of Princess Latifa, another daughter of Dubai’s ruling family. He insists that the international community demand confirmation of Javadli’s whereabouts and welfare.
Until now, no official response has been received from UAE officials or law‑enforcement agencies. The fate of Javadli and her daughters remains uncertain, prompting ongoing concern among human‑rights advocates and the international community.
