Lawyers for the former wife of a member of Dubai’s ruling family have lodged a request to the UN Human Rights Council.

They want the council to intervene with authorities in the UAE to ensure Zeynab Javadli and her children’s safety.

The request claims that Ms Javadli has faced abuse, harassment and intimidation by authorities during a bitter custody battle with Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

His lawyers have argued Ms Javadli is an unfit mother, which she has denied.

It’s the latest case in Dubai to reveal rifts within the ruling family

“Please help me,” Ms Javadli says in a video exclusively obtained by the BBC. “My children and I are terrified and frightened for our lives and safety.”

“We are effectively homeless and trapped in a hotel in Dubai, with my children unable to leave without fear that I might be arrested and have my children taken from me.”

The 31-year-old former international gymnast from Azerbaijan is speaking from Dubai, where she has remained since her divorce from Sheikh Saeed at the end of 2019. She has stayed there with her three young daughters out of concern that if she left the country, she might never see them again.