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LONDON (Reuters) – The wife of a British university jailed by an Emirati court for spying has asked the UAE authorities Thursday to review her life sentence and release her husband.
Matthew Hedges was sentenced Wednesday to life imprisonment for espionage by the British government, in a gesture described as deeply disappointing by Prime Minister Theresa May.
"Matt is innocent," Hedges' wife Daniela Tejada told Reuters. "To condemn in perpetuity an innocent researcher who has held the United Arab Emirates in high esteem speaks volumes about their lack of tolerance and disrespect for human life."
"They must review their sentence and release my husband, who has already been abducted for more than six months," Tejada said.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Hedges had been treated fairly.
The 31-year-old doctoral student from Durham University has been in detention since May 5, when he was arrested at Dubai International Airport after a two-week research visit.
The evidence presented against him consisted of notes from his thesis research, said his family.
A life sentence for a non-emirati carries a maximum of 25 years in prison and is followed by deportation, according to The National newspaper.
Reportage of Guy Faulconbridge; edited by Stephen Addison
