Arrest of Matthew Hedges

Last updated

Matthew Hedges
Born1986or1987(age 36–37)
Surrey, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
Occupation Doctoral student
Known forImprisoned in the UAE for spying

In May 2018, Matthew Hedges, a British doctoral student who was in the United Arab Emirates for a two-week research trip, was arrested at Dubai International Airport on suspicion of spying on behalf of the British government. In November 2018, Hedges was sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Arab Emirates on charges of espionage in state security.

Contents

The verdict was criticised in the United Kingdom, including by Prime Minister Theresa May and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt. Hedges was pardoned in November 2018, ahead of the UAE's National Day.

Biography

Hedges was born in Surrey, England, and attended Cranleigh School. [1] He works for a British cyber intelligence company. [1] He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Bradford. [1] He has an MA from the University of Exeter, for the thesis "What has driven the UAE's military spending since 2001?". In 2015, he began a PhD programme at Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs examining the effects of the Arab Spring on the Gulf states. [1] He met his wife Daniela Tejada while at the University of Exeter. [1]

Hedges had previously worked for a security and political consultancy firm in the UAE. [2] Since January 2016 he has been an advisor for the U.S. geopolitical risk consulting firm Gulf State Analytics. [1]

In March 2018, Hedges wrote an article for the Middle East Policy Council on the future of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Gulf Cooperation Council, [1] and in April 2018 an article about the modernisation of the Royal Saudi Navy for Gulf State Analytics. [3]

As of July 2021, Hedges was continuing his doctoral studies at Durham. [4] As of January 2023, his studies have been completed. [5]

Arrest and imprisonment

Dubai International Airport, where Hedges was arrested. Dubai Airport overview.jpg
Dubai International Airport, where Hedges was arrested.

In April 2018, Hedges travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a research trip for his PhD. He was conducting interviews for his thesis. At the end of his two-week visit, Hedges was arrested at Dubai International Airport on suspicion of spying on behalf of the British government. [1] [2] He was held for almost six months, mostly in solitary confinement. [6] [7]

According to his wife, in the first month of being detained, Hedges slept on the floor and had no access to a shower. [2] The Emirates News Agency said that Hedges had access to medical care and that his detainment was compliant with Emirati law. [8] According to Tejada, Hedges suffered from panic attacks while in jail. [9] Hedges was only able to speak to his wife once a week. [10]

In October 2018, a local report said that a foreign national, believed to be Hedges, had been accused of "seeking confidential information about the UAE", and said that the suspect had confessed to the charges. [2] In the same month, Hedges was released on bail prior to the trial. [11] [12] In November 2018, Abu Dhabi court sentenced Hedges to life imprisonment in the UAE on charges of spying and providing confidential information to outside sources. [6] [13] [14]

According to The National newspaper, a life sentence in the UAE consists of a maximum of 25 years in jail, followed by deportation for non-Emiratis. [15] In accordance with Emirati law, Hedges was given 30 days to appeal the court ruling. [16] According to Sulaiman Hamid al-Mazroui, the UAE ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hedges' family pleaded for a pardon. [7]

Reactions

British Prime Minister Theresa May called the verdict "disappointing". [14] British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt criticized the verdict, claiming that it had been done in a five-minute hearing, an allegation denied by Sulaiman Hamid al-Mazroui. [7] Non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch said that the trial "was marred with such due process violations that there’s no way it could have been seen as a fair trial". [14] Alex Younger, the head of MI6, said that he "couldn't understand how our Emirati partners came to the conclusions they came to." [17]

After the verdict, the University of Birmingham voted to boycott its new campus in Dubai, in protest of the decision. [18] Staff at Exeter University, where Hedges was previously an undergraduate, passed a motion calling for the suspension of its academic relationships with the UAE. [19] Tejada set up an online petition which attracted over 200,000 signatures. [20]

Pardon and release

On 26 November 2018, Hedges was pardoned by UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as part of the UAE tradition of pardoning people on the country's National Day. [21] [22]

After his release, Hedges went to the British embassy in Abu Dhabi, from where he later travelled back to the United Kingdom. [10] He arrived at Heathrow Airport on the morning of Tuesday, 27 November 2018, where he was reunited with his wife, whom he praised for having tirelessly campaigned for his release. [23] In December 2018, Hedges said that he was speaking to a specialist psychiatrist about the effects of his imprisonment. [10]

Complaints

In May 2019, Hedges' lawyer lodged a complaint against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office alleging it failed in its duty of care to negotiate Hedges' release. Hedges and his wife are also requesting an independent inquiry. [24] In May 2021, Hedges launched legal action against senior Emirati officials in relation to his alleged torture. [25]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates</span> Country in West Asia

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East. Located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, it shares land borders with Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the southwest; as well as maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. The United Arab Emirates is an elective monarchy formed from a federation of seven emirates. As of 2024, the UAE has an estimated population of about 10 million. Emirati citizens are estimated to form 11.6% of the population, with the remaining residents forming up to 88.4% of the UAE population composed of expatriates, the majority of whom are of South Asian descent. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language. Abu Dhabi is the country's capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub.

Human Rights in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are substantially restricted. The UAE does not have democratically elected institutions and citizens don't have the right to change their government or form political parties. Activists and academics who criticize the government are detained and imprisoned, and their families are often harassed by the state security apparatus. There are reports of forced disappearances of foreign nationals and Emirati citizens, who have been abducted, detained and tortured in undisclosed locations, and denied the right to a speedy trial and access to counsel during investigations by the UAE government. Human Rights Watch states that Emirati laws maintain capital punishment and discriminate against women, migrants and LGBT individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in the United Arab Emirates</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the United Arab Emirates face discrimination and legal challenges. Homosexuality is illegal in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and under the federal criminal provisions, consensual same-sex sexual activity is punishable by imprisonment; extra-marital sexual activity between persons of different sexes is also illegal. In both cases, prosecution will only be brought if a husband or male guardian of one of the participants makes a criminal complaint. The penalty is a minimum of six months imprisonment; no maximum penalty is prescribed, and the court has full discretion to impose any sentence in accordance with the country's constitution.

<i>Gulf News</i> Dubai-based English-language newspaper

Gulf News is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was first launched in 1978, and is currently distributed throughout the UAE and also in other Persian Gulf Countries. Its online edition was launched in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Dubai</span>

Human rights in Dubai are based on the Constitution and enacted law, which promise equitable treatment of all people, regardless of race, nationality or social status, per Article 25 of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates. Despite this, Freedom House has stated: "Extreme forms of self-censorship are widely practiced, particularly regarding issues such as local politics, culture, religion, or any other subject the government deems politically or culturally sensitive. The Dubai Media Free Zone (DMFZ), an area in which foreign media outlets produce print and broadcast material intended for foreign audiences, is the only arena where the press operates with relative freedom."

According to Human Rights Watch, there is substantial discrimination against women in the United Arab Emirates. The status of women has improved over the years. UAE performs better on metrics of gender equality than many other states in the Gulf region, and it has been making reforms to protect women's rights and empower women in different sectors. Critics describe some of these reforms as window dressing.

Hervé Jaubert is a French former Navy officer, marine engineer and DGSE agent. He moved to Stuart, Florida in the early 2000s where he set up a company to build and operate recreational submarines, under the Exomos brand. He then moved his firm to the United Arab Emirates. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis in October 2008, Exomos was closed. In May 2008, facing accusations in Dubai of fraud and embezzlement worth AED 14 million, Jaubert escaped from Dubai in a dinghy. He subsequently returned to Stuart, where he was a permanent US resident and wrote a book about his ordeal. On April 15, 2009, he was tried in absentia in Dubai and convicted of illegally acquiring AED 14 million by abusing his position with Exomos, a subsidiary of Dubai World, according to court records. He was sentenced to five years in prison but Jaubert denied the charges against him. His book, titled “Escape from Dubai” was published November 10, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–United Arab Emirates relations</span> Bilateral relations

Israel–United Arab Emirates relations had been jagged and fueled by mutual distrust and hatred for several decades, but in the 2010s, the countries' informal relations improved considerably and they began engaging in extensive unofficial cooperation based on their joint opposition to Iran's nuclear program and regional influence. In 2015, Israel opened an official diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi to the International Renewable Energy Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oman–United Arab Emirates relations</span> Bilateral relations

Oman– United Arab Emirates are the relations between the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The U.A.E. has an embassy in Muscat while Oman maintains an embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate-general in Dubai. Both countries are part of the Middle East region and share close cultural ties. Oman and the U.A.E. also share very large borders with each other, including two exclaves of Oman accessible on land only through the U.A.E, and also border the Gulf of Oman. Both countries are members of the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Emiratis in the United Kingdom are Emirati expatriates in the United Kingdom. They number several thousand and include many students pursuing higher education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

The United Arab Emirates has an embassy in London while the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland maintains an embassy in Abu Dhabi and is unique in having another Embassy in Dubai, albeit with His Majesty's Consul-General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, as opposed to a separate British Ambassador. The UAE-UK relations have been described as a "special relationship".

The United Arab Emirates Five are five activists who were arrested in April 2011 on charges of breaking United Arab Emirates law of defamation by insulting heads of state, namely UAE president Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Abu Dhabi crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, through running an website that expressed anti-government views.

Ahmed Abdul Khaleq is a blogger and activist of the stateless Bedoon minority who formerly resided in Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. From April to November 2011, he was imprisoned as one of the UAE Five on charges of insulting United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience, and he was released following a presidential pardon. In May 2012, he was rearrested and given a choice between indefinite detention or exile. On 16 July, he left the country for Thailand.

Al Islah was an Islamist group based in the United Arab Emirates that was highly affiliated and considered part of the Muslim Brotherhood. The political group was banned and was designated as a terrorist group after attempting to form a military wing for a coup d'état against the government.

Marte Deborah Dalelv is a Norwegian woman, who in 2013, received a prison sentence of 16 months in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for perjury, consensual extramarital sex and alcohol consumption. Dalelv had originally reported a man to the police for an alleged rape but withdrew the rape allegation several days later, saying at that time that the intercourse had been consensual. In court she claimed she had been raped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Mansoor</span> Emirati activist

Ahmed Mansoor Al Shehhi is an Emirati blogger, human rights and reform activist arrested in 2011 for defamation and insults to the heads of state and tried in the UAE Five trial. He was pardoned by UAE's president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Mansoor was arrested again in March 2017 on charges of using social media platforms to threaten public order and publish false and misleading information. He was found guilty and convicted for threatening state security and given a prison sentence of 10 years.

Events in the year 2018 in the United Arab Emirates.

Al Wathba is a suburb of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates that has a wetland nearby. It is located not too far from the international airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farzan Athari</span> Iranian-Swedish actor (born 1984)

Farzan Athari is a Swedish Iranian, TV host, model and actor. He has worked in the fashion and entertainment industry in 23 different countries and collaborated with over 100 brands, he has also had leading roles in movies and hosted television shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi</span> President of Interpol since 2021

Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi is a high ranking police officer in the United Arab Emirates. He currently serves as the 30th president of Interpol and the Major general of the United Arab Emirates' interior ministry.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Matthew Hedges: Who is the man at the centre of the 'spy' row?". BBC News . 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kerr, Simeon (11 October 2018). "UK student held for 5 months in UAE on suspected spy charges" . Financial Times . Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  3. ↑ Hedges, Matthew (15 April 2018). "Saudi Arabia's modernization considerations for its West Coast fleet". Gulf State Analytics. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "Staff".
  5. ↑ Sawer, Patrick; Mendick, Robert (15 January 2023). "Matthew Hedges: UAE is smearing me by sharing medical records and intimate photos". The Telegraph.
  6. 1 2 Said-Moorhouse, Laura (23 November 2018). "Wife of jailed British academic calls on UAE to recognize 'misunderstanding'". CNN . Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Wintour, Patrick; Parveen, Nazia (23 November 2018). "Hopes grow for release of UK academic jailed for life in UAE". The Guardian . Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  8. ↑ "UAE issues statement on Brit spy suspect Matthew Hedges". Arabian Business . 24 October 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  9. ↑ Agerholm, Harriet (23 November 2018). "Matthew Hedges: Jailed British academic in UAE having panic attacks as health deteriorates". The Independent . Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 "Matthew Hedges: UAE spy accused will 'take years' to recover". BBC News . 18 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  11. ↑ "Matthew Hedges: Academic on UAE spying charge bailed". BBC News . 30 October 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  12. ↑ "British academic Matthew Hedges released on bail in UAE". The Daily Telegraph . 29 October 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  13. ↑ "Matthew Hedges: UAE sentences British academic to life in jail on spying charge". The Independent . 21 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 "UAE appeals court sentences Matthew Hedges to life in prison". Al Jazeera . 21 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  15. ↑ "UK student Matthew Hedges jailed for life in UAE for 'spying'". news.com.au . 22 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  16. ↑ Cecil, Nicolas; O'Mahony, Daniel (23 November 2018). "Matthew Hedges latest: Pardon for Brit academic jailed in UAE being considered". Evening Standard . Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  17. ↑ "Alex Younger: MI6 chief 'perplexed' over Matthew Hedges case". BBC News . 6 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  18. ↑ Mendick, Robert (22 November 2018). "British university staff boycott Dubai campus as MPs say military should no longer train UAE forces". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  19. ↑ "Matthew Hedges: University staff's Dubai campus boycott". BBC News . 23 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  20. ↑ "Matthew Hedges: Jailed UAE spy row Briton 'terrified'". BBC News . 23 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  21. ↑ "Matthew Hedges: British academic pardoned by UAE". BBC News . 26 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  22. ↑ Wintour, Patrick; Batty, David (26 November 2018). "Matthew Hedges: jailed British academic released by UAE". The Guardian . Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  23. ↑ "Matthew Hedges: pardoned academic returns to UK". The Guardian . 27 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  24. ↑ Parveen, Nazia (5 May 2019). "Foreign Office 'failed in duty of care', claims Briton jailed in UAE". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  25. ↑ "Matthew Hedges: UK academic files claim over UAE 'torture'". BBC News . 5 May 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  26. ↑ "Mr Matthew Hedges". Durham University . Retrieved 24 November 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.