Durham Uni student jailed for life on spying charges in the UAE

A British academic accused of spying in the United Arab Emirates has been sentenced to life imprisonment, his family spokeswoman said.

Matthew Hedges, 31, was sentenced when he appeared in court in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Nikita Bernardi, a representative for Mr Hedges' family, said.

The Middle Eastern studies specialist from Durham University visited the country to research his PhD thesis and was arrested in Dubai Airport on May 5.

At the last hearing, on October 24, a court-appointed lawyer maintained Mr Hedges' innocence, arguing that the evidence brought forward - Mr Hedges' notes from his PhD research - did not contain anything confidential, meaning the court should review it before passing judgment.

The court agreed and postponed the hearing until November 21.

His wife Daniela said:

"I am in complete shock and I don’t know what to do. 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. This whole case has been handled appallingly from the very beginning with no one taking Matthew’s case seriously. The British Government must take a stand now for Matthew, one of their citizens. They say that 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 6 months of my life, let alone for Matt who was shaking when he heard the verdict. 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. Our nightmare has gotten even worse.”

Mr Hedges was released from detention on October 29 and had since been staying in Dubai, with an ankle bracelet monitoring his movements.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, and Minister of State for the Middle East Alistair Burt, have both previously travelled to the UAE to make representations on Mr Hedges' behalf.

In a statement, Mr Hunt said:

"I am deeply shocked and disappointed by the verdict today. I have personally raised the case of Matthew Hedges at the highest levels of the UAE government, including during my visit to Abu Dhabi on 12 November. On that occasion, I spoke to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.

"However, today's verdict is not what we expect from a friend and trusted partner of the United Kingdom and runs contrary to earlier assurances.

"Our consular officials have been in close contact with Matthew Hedges and his family. We 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. I regret the fact that we have reached this position and I urge the UAE to reconsider."

Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, Professor Stuart Corbridge said:

“We are devastated to learn that Matt Hedges has been sentenced to life in prison following his detention and trial in the United Arab Emirates.

“Following a period in which he was detained in conditions which breached his human rights this judgement 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 that Matt 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 during the appeal period and thereafter, at what is an unimaginably difficult time for them."

Ben Ward, acting UK director at Human Rights Watch, said:

"Human Rights Watch is deeply alarmed by the verdict against Matthew Hedges given the inhumane conditions he was held in prior to his release on bail, the serious due process violations that marred his trial, and the UAE's disturbing record of mistreating state security detainees.

"British authorities should closely monitor Hedges's appeal and insist upon his humane treatment in prison, proper access to a lawyer, and that coerced statements not be used as evidence against him."