The ex-wife of a nephew of the ruler of Dubai, who is also the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, was arrested after a long battle for custody of her children, authorities in the Gulf emirate said Friday.

Zeynab Javadli, a former gymnast originally from Azerbaijan, has been detained following a complaint filed by her ex-husband, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, accusing her of "abducting" their three daughters "during a court-authorized visit," the Dubai Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement to AFP.

"The case is still under investigation and legal proceedings are ongoing," he added.

Since late 2025, Zeynab Javadli has posted several videos on her Instagram account, sometimes with her daughters, accusing her ex-husband of wanting to take her children away and calling for help.

Sheikh Saeed's lawyer told AFP that his client had obtained custody of the children in 2022, and that this decision had been confirmed by the Dubai Court of Cassation.

"Despite these decisions, Ms. Javadli abducted the three children during a court-approved visit in 2025," according to Mahmood Hussain.

"She then posted a series of videos on social media containing defamatory allegations (...) and exposing the children," which prompted their father to file a complaint, he continued.

According to David Haigh, a UK-based human rights lawyer following Ms. Javadli's case, the girls, the eldest of whom is nine years old, have always lived with their mother.

He claimed in a statement that the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, had "personally intervened" in 2022 to grant custody to Ms. Javadli, without presenting any evidence.

The alleged abduction took place last November, he said, questioning why she was only arrested several months later.

"We call on the Emirati authorities to immediately grant Zeynab access to legal representation. And we call on the Azerbaijani government to guarantee consular access," Mr. Haigh added. But above all, "we ask the Emirates to allow Zeynab to return home to her children."

According to press reports, the couple divorced in 2019 and, in 2022, Ms. Javadli asked the UN Human Rights Council to intervene in the custody dispute.

AFP