British spying trial: UAE court sentences life in jail to Matthew Hedges

A United Arab Emirates court on Wednesday sentenced British student Matthew Hedges to life in jail on Wednesday after convicting him of spying.

31-year-old Hedges, a PhD student at Durham University in the UK, was convicted by the Federal Court of Appeal in Dubai for attempting to procure sensitive information during a trip to the Emirates this year. He appeared in court, accompanied by his wife, Daniele Tejada and officials from the British Embassy to hear his sentence.

The life sentence includes a maximum of 25 years in jail and is followed by deportations for non-Emiratis. Hedges will be deported upon completion of his sentence and was also ordered to pay all legal fees. The court also stated that his devices and research would be confiscated. However, Hedges has the right to appeal within a maximum of 30 days.

The full statement from the court, translated from Arabic read:

“The Federal Appeals Court of Abu Dhabi sentenced Matthew Hedges, 31, to life imprisonment after being convicted of spying on the UAE and providing sensitive security and intelligence information to third parties. The court also ruled that he would be deported from the country after the execution of the sentence and would be charged the costs of the legal case. The court ordered the confiscation of all his equipment, devices, research and studies. The convicted person has the right to challenge the ruling with the State Security Department of the Federal Supreme Court within a maximum period of 30 days.”

A family spokesperson said, “We can confirm that he was sentenced to life in prison.” “The hearing lasted less than five minutes, and his lawyer was not present,” the spokesperson added.

On the other hand, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was “deeply shocked and disappointed” by the decision of the UAE court. “Today’s verdict is not what we expect from a friend and trusted partner of the United Kingdom and runs contrary to earlier assurances,” he said.

Hedges was researching the UAE’s foreign and internal security policies after the Arab Spring revolutions of 2011 when he was detained at Dubai airport on May 5. He was granted temporary release on October 29 but constantly monitored until Wednesday’s court hearing, only his third since his arrest.

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