Wife clings to hope of clemency for British academic jailed in UAE
Man accused of spying could be freed when rulers pardon prisoners on the country’s national day
THE wife of the academic jailed in the UAE for allegedly spying for Britain said last night that she will be devastated if Gulf rulers ignore her urgent plea for clemency.
Reports have suggested that Matthew Hedges could be free from prison as early as next week to coincide with the state’s national day, when prisoners are traditionally pardoned.
However, Daniela Tejada told The Daily Telegraph she refused to have expectations raised. She had expected Mr Hedges to be released at a legal hearing on Wednesday only for the Abu Dhabi court to find him guilty of being an MI6 spy and sentence him to a life term.
Ms Tejada said: “We have made a plea for mercy. The letter for clemency is testament to Matt’s good character. It just says he is a good man, a loving husband and a loving son.
“To be honest I don’t want to raise expectations. I just want his release.
“I have had my hopes dashed on so many previous occasions that I really don’t want to get too hopeful now. Of course I want this nightmare to end soon, but I don’t want to set Thursday as a deadline because it will be devastating if he isn’t given clemency.”
Last year, almost 1,500 prisoners were given pardons by UAE rulers, ahead of the country’s national day on Dec 2. According to sources, the release of prisoners will take place on Thursday, ahead of a weekend of celebrations. More than 200,000 people have signed an online petition, set up by Ms Tejada, demanding his release.
Mr Hedges, 31, was arrested in May at Dubai airport, having spent two weeks in the area carrying out research for his PHD on security in the region. He spent six months in solitary confinement before being found guilty.
Mr Hedges telephoned his wife from jail on Thursday night but was barred from even telling her which prison he is in or whether he is being held again in solitary confinement.
“I asked him if he is in solitary and he was not able to tell me,” said Ms Tejada. “All his conversations are closely monitored … nobody can monitor him or visit him. It is clear to me that this is a breach of international standards.”
Ms Tejada said her husband is “absolutely terrified of having to spend the rest of his life behind bars for an offence he hasn’t committed”.
The furore over Mr Hedges’ treatment has plunged the UK and UAE – normally allies – into a diplomatic crisis. Britain has strongly denied he is a spy but the UAE is understood to want the Government to admit Mr Hedges was working for MI6 before releasing him.
Prof Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent Emirati academic who has defended the UAE’S handling of the case, said: “According to the law of the land here, the president of the country can be addressed for clemency. He has the right to reduce the sentence or pardon him.”
Prof Abdulla said the chances of Mr Hedges getting clemency are “50/50”. “They need to recognise the fact that he is a spy,” he said.
But Ms Tejada, 27, said: “I know in the bottom of my heart that Matt is innocent, but even if it takes me subjugating myself to the UAE I will, because I have the conviction that Matt deserves his freedom. Until I have him safe, back home with me, I will not rest.”
As the row intensified, Durham University, where Mr Hedges is a student, announced yesterday that it has suspended all staff and students from travelling to the UAE for research.
Prof John Williams, who heads the school of government and international affairs where Mr Hedges was carrying out his research, said: “I can’t imagine there isn’t a UK university at the moment that isn’t looking very hard at the security of doing research at the UAE, as this is clearly an extraordinary challenge to the principles of academic freedom.” Academics at Birmingham University, which has a campus in Dubai, have voted to boycott the Gulf state. Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui, the UAE’S ambassador to Britain, said yesterday that authorities were reviewing the request for clemency, while insisting his government “does not dictate verdicts” to the courts. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We hope the UAE now looks favourably on the family’s request for clemency.”
‘I don’t want to set Thursday as a deadline because it will be devastating if he isn’t given clemency’