Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Third uni cuts UAE ties over student ‘spy’ caged for life
A THIRD university has cut ties with the United Arab Emirates in protest after Brit academic Matthew Hedges was jailed for life on a spying charge.
Exeter University has joined Durham – where Mr Hedges was doing a
PhD in Middle Eastern studies
– and Birmingham, which has a campus in Dubai.
Hopes for his release have grown as the UAE considers his family’s mercy plea. The Gulf state has a history of issuing pardons ahead of its national day on December 2.
Its UK ambassador Sulaiman Almazroui has said: “We’re hopeful that an amicable solution can be reached.” Matthew’s wife Daniela Tejada, 27, said: “He’s terrified at having to spend his life behind bars for an offence he hasn’t committed.” Matthew, 31, of Exeter, spent five months in solitary confinement after his arrest.