[ad_1]
The United Arab Emirates has sentenced a British academic to life imprisonment for espionage, prompting the United Kingdom to threaten to break with diplomatic relations.
Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old graduate student from Durham University, was sentenced Wednesday in a five-minute hearing in Abu Dhabi, Washington. To post reports. He has 30 days to appeal the verdict.
Hedges was in the country for a two-week trip as part of his doctoral thesis on the Emirates' security policy, announced his family and his university. He was arrested on May 5 at the Dubai International Airport.
Hedges was kept in solitary confinement for four months. The academic was released on bail last month and was charged with spying after signing a confession statement in Arabic, a language he does not speak, according to the newspaper. To post.
A judge sentenced him to life imprisonment on Wednesday. According to a statement from the United Arab Emirates, representatives of the British Embassy were present at the trial.
British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt said he was "deeply shocked and disappointed" by the decision and warned that the case could have diplomatic "repercussions".
"Today 's verdict does not correspond to what we expect from a friend and trusted UK partner and goes against the assurances given previously," he said. Hunt in a statement. "I urge the UAE to reconsider their decision."
British Prime Minister Theresa May also expressed her concern and promised to discuss the case with the UAE "at the highest level".
Members of his family said that Hedges' state of health had significantly deteriorated during his detention and that he had been hospitalized in October. He would have started throwing up every day after the prison authorities gave him a mixture of antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds and sleeping pills, To post reports.
Daniela Tejada, wife of Hedge, said the family had been silent about the affair for months after the British government officials advised them to remain discreet, which would help alleviate the pain.
"The Foreign Office (…) has made it clear to the UAE authorities that Matthew was not a spy for them," Tejada said in a statement issued after the verdict. To post. "This whole thing has been treated so dreadfully from the beginning, no one taking Matthew's case seriously."
Human Rights Watch's deputy director for the Middle East, Michael Page, said the Hedge case highlighted the disparity between the Gulf State's attempts to portray itself as "a progressive and tolerant country" and his "fundamental lack of respect for the rule of law".
"UAE leaders can not claim to preside over a global center of knowledge and education while shutting down academics," said Page.
