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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Dubai Ruler Runs Slave Trade, Class Action Claims

LEXINGTON, KY. (CN) - Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, leads an international human trafficking ring that abducts, enslaves, sexually molests and tortures boys as young as 2, parents claim in a class-action complaint in Federal Court.

Plaintiffs claim "thousands of small boys" have been enslaved as camel tenders and jockeys in the Arabian Peninsula. In the "camel camps," boys are sexually abused by older men, deprived of food and water to keep them small enough to race and injected with drugs to stop them from growing. Plaintiffs' claim Sheikh Hamdan has extensive ties to Kentucky, including owning Shadwell Farm and Darley Stud's Jonabell Farm. Camel racers demand boys who weigh only 20 kilos or less as jockeys, the complaint states. Represented by Elizabeth Seif, plaintiffs demand punitive damages. See complaint.

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