Two more of Princess Latifa’s close friends have joined Free Latifa campaign director and Latifa’s best friend Tiina Jauhiainen to manage the official campaign to free Princess Latifa.
Latifa’s close friends Stefania Martinengo and Marko Remes have joined the campaign team to work alongside Campaign Director and Princess Latifa’s best friend Tiina and Human rights lawyer and campaigner David Haigh. Following a number of third parties seeking to claim the ability to represent Princess Latifa, whilst simultaneously seeking to promote unauthorized and inaccurate books, and movie scripts on her brave life story, whilst Latifa remains detained, Latifa’s closest and longstanding friends have felt the need to come even closer together to protect Latifa’s name, legacy and tell the true story of Princess Latifa’s bravery – dedicated simply to Free Latifa.
Stefania was born in Italy and is a Skydiving Instructor. Viewers of the BBC Documentary Escape from Dubai will recognize Stefania, who featured in the heart-breaking documentary as one of Latifa’s close friends. Stefania met Latifa at the beginning of 2014 when Stefania was working at skydiving instructor at Skydive Dubai. Stefania told freelatifa.com about Latifa and how they met “We began skydiving training together and shortly became good friends. I discovered her to be a beautiful person, fun, loving, caring, open-minded and intelligent. I became truly fond of her, I miss her very much. I think it’s important that she is not forgotten and with her any other in her absurd situation.”Stefania continued telling freelatifa.com “There is no educational system, no Nation, no one who could be supported to take away the basic human rights of freedom to innocent people. If we allow and accept, we are truly degrading ourselves.”I hope that we all together raise our voice so that Latifa will be freed.”
Marko is a Finnish marketing executive. Marko first met Latifa in 2015 through Tiina Jauhiainen, who Marko has been friends with for over 20 years. Marko, speaking to freelatifa.com said “I remember well when Tiina first introduced me to Latifa, she seemed shy, but after a few meetings she opened up and we became good friends. I often met with Tiina and Latifa either in shopping malls or in skydiving circles in Dubai. Latifa is lots of fun and an incredibly caring and supportive friend who always puts others first. She loves surprising friends, especially on birthdays. Latifa’s harrowing story has been incredibly painful for me to follow in the media. The nightmare began when Tiina went missing on 4th March 2018, I was there, watching and waiting and like many of Tiina’s and Latifa’s trusted friends I have never stopped fighting for the freedom of my friend Latifa. Latifa is an amazing person, she has so much to offer her friends, but also to the world, yet she is kept in captivity.”I’m part of #FreeLatifa campaign not only because Latifa is my dear friend, but also because of the blatant abuse of human rights like this should never happen to anyone.
Everyone can contribute to this campaign by sharing the story and by making decisions like I’ve made: I’ll never set my foot in the UAE again, or fly Emirates – supporting their tourism sector means supporting a ruthless regime with absolute disregard to human rights. Together we are more – let’s not give up until Latifa is free!”