Matthew Hedges: British academic accused of spying jailed for life in UAE

[muriel_volestrangler]

Last edited Wed Nov 21, 2018, 11:26 AM - Edit history (2)

Source: The Guardian

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 Durham University student, who went to the country to research his PhD thesis, was handed the sentence at an Abu Dhabi court in a hearing that lasted less than five minutes, with no lawyer present.

Hedges was detained in May at Dubai airport as he was leaving the country, and was held in solitary confinement for five months.

The UAE attorney general, Hamad al-Shamsi, said Hedges was accused of "spying for a foreign country, jeopardising the military, political and economic security of the state".


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/21/british-academic-matthew-hedges-accused-of-spying-jailed-for-life-in-uae

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It is thought that this was really meant as a warning to any foreigners to never ask questions about the UAE's involvement in the Yemen war:

Hedges was arrested after an Emirati apparently reported him to the authorities for "asking sensitive questions about some sensitive departments" and "seeking to gather classified information on the UAE".

He was researching aspects of the UAE's foreign and domestic security strategy, including the war in Yemen.

According to a profile on the Durham University website, Hedges' research includes Middle-Eastern politics, the changing nature of war, civil-military relations and tribalism. The university has said it is "seriously concerned" for his welfare and Amnesty International has called for his immediate release.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/16/matthew-hedges-uk-urged-support-british-academic-charged-spying-uae

There was an interview on BBC Radio 4's World At One with a fellow academic, Cinzia Bianco, who said this, and the MP Bob Seely agreed (and pointed out that this "coarsening of behaviour" has been seen from Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey - which, I point out, are regimes that Trump is in love with). Audio of that will be posted here soonish - I'll try to give a link and timestamp for it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qptc

Starting at 09:35 here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0001797

[Coventina]

1. So much for supposedly "liberal" and "westernized" UAE.

Maybe now that a man has become a victim, people will wake up.

Remember the female tourist that was raped in UAE....and was arrested for reporting it?
Because she was guilty of extra-marital sex?

[Farmer-Rick]

2. capitalism and feudalism combined to make a holly mess.

Why anyone would think they would be treated fairly by a feudal lord is beyond me. Did he not understand who he was researching?

A country owned by people who can do whatever they want to whomever they want with absolutely no repercussions, is not a safe place to be let alone visit and research.

[SunSeeker]

3. The UAE is committing blatant human rights violations out in the open.

And Trump is fine with it. Hell, he's jealous.

[SunSeeker]

4. K & R for exposure.