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ABU DHABI / DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates on Monday pardoned a British academic jailed in perpetuity for spying, accusing the family of asking him for a few minutes of grace after showing a video of him admitting to being a member of the British intelligence agency MI6.
British academic Matthew Hedges, jailed for espionage in the United Arab Emirates, appears in this undated photo provided by his wife, Daniela Tejada. Photo provided on November 23, 2018. Daniele Tajada / Handout via REUTERS
The UAE president has granted this pardon as part of the clemency of more than 700 prisoners on the country's national holiday, according to a statement from the official WAM news agency.
The pardon was effective immediately and Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old doctoral student from Durham University and detained for more than six months, will be allowed to leave the country "once the formalities are completed," according to the release. .
The British Foreign Minister welcomed the decision, saying that the British government had not accepted the accusations against Hedges, but was grateful to the United Arab Emirates for resolving the problem quickly.
The United Arab Emirates had announced Friday that they were working on an "amicable solution" to the issue after London called the sentences previously pronounced deeply disappointing.
Hedges has been in detention since May 5, when he was arrested at Dubai International Airport after a two-week search visit.
A few minutes before the pardon was announced, a government spokesman showed reporters a video of Hedges claiming to be a member of MI6 looking for the military systems the United Arab Emirates was buying.
In the video, Hedges said that he had addressed sources as a PhD student on the cover.
His family and his university have described Hedges as a talented researcher who has been guilty of the UAE's security and justice system. The United Arab Emirates has described it as a British spy, who has received a fair trial for serious espionage offenses.
"The family and I are looking forward to the announcement of the presidential pardon and look forward to Matt coming home," said Hedges' wife Daniela Tejada after the pardon.
Report by Stanley Carvalho and Asma Alsharif; Written by Katie Paul, edited by William Maclean
