Fury as UK student gets life in jail on spy charge
A BRITISH student’s wife told of her devastation last night after he was jailed for life in the United Arab Emirates accused of spying.
Matthew Hedges, 31, had expected to be freed after spending five months in solitary confinement following his arrest at Dubai airport in May.
But during a five-minute hearing yesterday he was handed a life term – a maximum of 25 years – for allegedly spying for the UK.
His stunned wife Daniela Tejada, 27, who attended the hearing in Abu Dhabi, said her husband was shaking when he heard the verdict.
Innocent
Ms Tejada said: “I am in complete shock. I don’t know what to do. Our nightmare has gotten even worse.
“Matthew is innocent. The Foreign Office know this and have made it clear to the UAE authorities that Matthew is not a spy for them.”
Mr Hedges, a specialist in Middle Eastern studies, insists he was in the country researching for a PhD at Durham University.
“The British Government must take a stand now for Matthew, one of their citizens,” said Ms Tejada.
“They say the UAE is an ally but the overwhelmingly arbitrary handling of Matt’s case indicates a scarily different reality, for which Matt and I are being made to pay a devastatingly high price. This has been the worst six months of my life, let alone for Matt. The UAE authorities should feel ashamed for such an obvious injustice.
“I am very scared for Matt. I don’t know where they are taking him or what will happen now.”
Prime Minister Theresa May told Parliament she would raise the issue with the UAE at the “highest level”.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was “deeply shocked” by the sentence and warned of “repercussions” if Mr Hedges is not released.
He said the verdict “is not what we expect from a friend and trusted partner of the United Kingdom and runs contrary to earlier assurances”.
It is thought Mr Hedges was arrested after a UAE citizen told police he had asked for sensitive information. The academic, from Exeter, Devon, has 30 days to appeal during which time he will be held in custody.
His life sentence was confirmed by a family spokesman, who said: “The hearing lasted less than five minutes and his lawyer was not present.”
A journalist was reportedly barred from entering the court, which was closed to the public.
The family said he was interrogated without a lawyer during the first six
weeks of his detention and consular access was unavailable. During this time he was made to sign a document in Arabic – which he cannot speak or read – which turned out to be a confession. His months in solitary confinement left him feeling suicidal.
Mr Hedges and Ms Tejada, originally from Bogota, Colombia, met at Exeter University eight years ago and wed in January last year.
Professor Stuart Corbridge, vicechancellor of Durham University, said: “Following a period in which he was detained in conditions which breached his human rights, this judgment has been delivered in the absence of anything resembling due process or a fair trial.
“There has been no information given on what basis Matt was handed this sentence and no reason to believe he was conducting anything other than legitimate academic research.
“We are committed to doing what we can to get Matt home safely and swiftly and we will offer Daniela and Matt’s family our full support.”