British academic Matthew Hedges sentenced to life in UAE for spying
UK - A British academic has been sentenced to life in prison for spying in the United Arab Emirates, according to a family spokeswoman. Matthew Hedges, 31, a specialist in Middle Eastern studies at Durham University in England, was arrested on May 5 by UAE officials when he was leaving Dubai airport. He had previously been held in solitary confinement for almost six months on spying allegations, but was released on bail last month. Nikita Bernardi, a spokeswoman for the Hedges family said that Hedges had been sentenced to “life in prison following a fiveminute hearing in which he had no legal representation.” The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said he was “deeply shocked and disappointed” by the verdict. “Today’s verdict is not what we expected from a friend and trusted partner of the United Kingdom and runs contrary to earlier assurances,” Hunt said. He added that the UK government has been in close contact with Hedges and his family, and will continue to do “everything possible” to support him. “I have repeatedly made clear that the handling of this case by the UAE authorities will have repercussions for the relationship between our two countries, which has to be built on trust,” Hunt said. “I regret the fact that we have reached this position and I urge the UAE to reconsider.” The 31-year-old had been in the UAE to conduct interviews for his PhD thesis examining civil-military relations in the wake of the Arab Spring, according to a letter posted on his wife’s Twitter account in October. Tejada welcomed his temporary release but added: “I cannot allow myself to get too excited by this information as Matt is not fully free yet. “Above everything, I hope that justice will be done and Matt is granted his rightful freedom something that he’s been unjustly denied in the last six months.”
(CNN)