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British authorities reacted angrily and threatened the United Arab Emirates with serious diplomatic repercussions after a Gulf State court sentenced a British student to life imprisonment for spying. The 31-year-old imprisonment of Matthew Hedges shocked British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who thought he had received assurances 10 days ago during a visit to the United Arab Emirates.
"We are in a state of shock, we see absolutely no evidence of the accusations against him.We are very worried about his well-being.If they can not solve this problem, the diplomatic consequences will be serious", said Jeremy Hunt. about the decision, which plunged Britain's relations with the Gulf State into crisis.
Hedges, a student at the University of Durham, was sentenced Wednesday after a five-minute court appearance. He was arrested at the Dubai airport on May 5 and charged with espionage in the United Arab Emirates. Authorities indicated that the research done by the doctoral student in the country for his thesis on security and the internal policies of the Gulf State following the Arab Spring was a pretext for monitoring a " foreign body ".
The University of Durham rejected the allegation with vigor. The same goes for his wife, Daniela Tejada, who appeared in court for his conviction and characterized the handling of his case by British diplomats as "appalling".
"Matthew is innocent, the Foreign Office is well aware of this and he has clearly explained to the UAE authorities that Matthew was not a spy for them." The British government must take a stand now for Matthew, one of their citizens. They say that the United Arab Emirates is an ally, but the extremely arbitrary treatment of Matthew's case indicates a totally different reality, for which Matt and I have to pay an extremely high price, "she said.
She added that British diplomats had banned her from speaking publicly about the case for months, saying it would be difficult to persuade the UAE authorities to release him. But Hedges' wife and friends have become increasingly alarmed. Hedges was kept in solitary confinement for five months, fed a cocktail of drugs and had only very limited access to British consular agents, they said.
In a statement following this decision, the Attorney General of the United Arab Emirates stated that Mr. Hedges "pleaded guilty in court … to all the charges against him after he presented him with convincing legal evidence drawn at the conclusion of thorough judicial investigations ". Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said the Briton had "benefited from all his rights and assurances in accordance with the UAE constitution and state laws for a fair and transparent trial".
But Hedges had no legal representative at the hearing and his family declared that he had been forced to sign a written confession in Arabic, even though he did not speak the language.
In a statement, the University of Durham said: "We are shocked to learn that Matt Hedges was sentenced to life in prison … This judgment was rendered in the absence of anything that resembles a procedure or fair trial. "
On Wednesday in the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Theresa May told lawmakers: "We are, of course, deeply disappointed and worried about today's verdict, we are raising it with the UAE authorities to the fullest. high level".
Hedges, who was born and raised in the UAE, was arrested after interviewing local officials for his theses. According to local media reports, one of them became suspicious and reported it. Britain has clashed with UAE leaders in recent weeks because of its record in human rights and its role in the war in Yemen, where its forces are part of the coalition. led by Saudi Arabia that fights against Houthi rebels backed by Iran.
During his trip to the Gulf in early January, Hunt reportedly had clashes with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Zayed, and the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince. Mohammed bin Salman, who had urged them to end Yemen's blockade.
A former British Foreign Minister, Crispin Blunt, told the BBC that the United Arab Emirates was an important and long-standing ally, but should not overestimate their friendship, saying the case had placed the United Kingdom Brittany in a "scandalous position". "It is important for the UAE authorities to solve this problem as quickly as possible," he added.
He added, however, that in view of the close relations between the two countries, including between the British and Emirati royal families, Britain was "in this situation".
