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Matthew Hedges: jailed British academic released by UAE
Source: The Guardian
Matthew Hedges: jailed British academic released by UAE
Durham student given life sentence on spying charges granted ‘gracious clemency’
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic correspondent and David Batty
Mon 26 Nov 2018 10.55 GMT
Matthew Hedges, the 31-year-old British academic jailed for life on spying charges by the United Arab Emirates, has been released hours after a presidential pardon by the country’s rulers, according to local officials. .
The move follows intense lobbying by the British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, amid an international outcry that left the UAE scrambling to produce evidence to justify claims that Hedges was a spy.
At a press conference on Monday, the UAE continued to insist Hedges was an MI6 agent, and played video footage showing him apparently confessing that he had been trying to discover military secrets, including about the UAE’s weapons purchases.
The UAE said a “gracious clemency was granted on Sunday in response to a letter from the Hedges family bearing in mind the historic relationship between the UAE and the UK”.
-snip-
Durham student given life sentence on spying charges granted ‘gracious clemency’
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic correspondent and David Batty
Mon 26 Nov 2018 10.55 GMT
Matthew Hedges, the 31-year-old British academic jailed for life on spying charges by the United Arab Emirates, has been released hours after a presidential pardon by the country’s rulers, according to local officials. .
The move follows intense lobbying by the British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, amid an international outcry that left the UAE scrambling to produce evidence to justify claims that Hedges was a spy.
At a press conference on Monday, the UAE continued to insist Hedges was an MI6 agent, and played video footage showing him apparently confessing that he had been trying to discover military secrets, including about the UAE’s weapons purchases.
The UAE said a “gracious clemency was granted on Sunday in response to a letter from the Hedges family bearing in mind the historic relationship between the UAE and the UK”.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/26/matthew-hedges-jailed-british-academic-pardoned-by-uae
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