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Academic accused of spying jailed for life in U.A.E.
Matthew Hedges with his wife, Daniela Tejada. Photograph: Daniela Tejada/EPA
A British academic who was accused of spying for the UK government in the United Arab Emirates after travelling to Dubai to conduct research has been sentenced to life in jail.
Matthew Hedges, 31, has been in a UAE prison for more than six months. The University of Durham PhD candidate went to the country to research his thesis and was sentenced at an Abu Dhabi court on Wednesday in a hearing that lasted less than five minutes, with no lawyer present.
His wife, Daniela Tejada, 27, who was present in the courtroom, said Hedges began shaking when the verdict was read out.
“I am in complete shock and I don’t know what to do,” she said. “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.”
She said the case had been handled “appallingly” with no one taking it seriously.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...or-life-in-uae
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