Dubai Public Prosecution released Zeynab Javadli on bail after questioning her in a child-custody abduction investigation.
Javadli, a former international gymnast from Azerbaijan, faces allegations filed by her ex-husband, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Prosecutors said the case concerns claims that Javadli refused to return the couple’s three children to their father after a court-approved visit.
Sheikh Saeed is a nephew of Dubai’s ruler. His lawyer, Mahmood Hussain, said a Dubai court awarded custody of the three girls to the father in 2022.
Hussain said a higher court in Dubai later upheld the decision. He added that Sheikh Saeed filed the complaint after videos on social media alleged that he was involved in the incident.
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Javadli has used Instagram posts since 2025 to seek help. She has also accused her ex-husband of taking away her daughters.
Her UK-based human rights lawyer, David Haigh, said the children had lived with their mother their entire lives.
However, he did not provide evidence for his claim that Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum intervened in 2022 to grant her full custody.
Javadli appealed to the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2022 over the custody dispute.
