YouTube Matthew Hedges with his wife, Daniela Tejada
Matthew Hedges is a 31 year old British man who traveled to the United Arab Emirates this year. Hedges, a PhD student, said he had gone to Abu Dhabi to carry out research for his thesis. But on Wednesday, a court in Abu Dhabi convicted Hedges of spying and sentenced him to life in prison. Hedges’ family says he is innocent, and the British government says that Hedges never worked for them as a spy. The British Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, warned that there would be “serious diplomatic consequences” for what has happened to Hedges.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Hedges Was Arrested Six Months Ago for ‘Asking Sensitive Questions’ & Local Media Reported that He Confessed to Being a Spy
Hedges traveled to the UAE in order to do research for his doctoral thesis. The 31 year old has been working on a PhD at Durham University in the UK. He was researching the “Arab Spring,” or the uprising that took place across the Middle East beginning in 2010, when citizens of many Arab countries rose up against their autocratic governments.
In May of 2018, Hedges wrapped up his research in Abu Dhabi and prepared to head home. But local police stopped him at the airport before he boarded his plane back to the UK. An Emirati man had apparently reported Hedges to the government for “asking sensitive questions” and “seeking to gather classified information on the UAE.” Hedges was arrested and charged with “spying for a foreign country” and with “jeopardizing the military, political and economic security of the state.”
Emirati media reported that Hedges had confessed to being a spy. But Hedges, his family, his wife, and the British government all say that he is completely innocent; they say that he was just doing academic research and that he’s never been involved in government spy agencies.
2. Hedges Spent Part of His Childhood in the UAE & Spent Years Working as a Defense Analyst in Dubai
British academic Matthew Hedges has been jailed for life in the UAE on “spying” charges. His detention – often in solitary confinement while deeply unwell – expected to chilling effect on the Gulf state’s research community:
Cinzia Bianco is a friend of Hedges. She told the Guardian that Hedges had chosen to do his research in the UAE because it was familiar territory for him. He spent part of his childhood there, and his father still lives in the country.
Hedges spent three years — from 2011 to 2014 — working in Dubai for the research group INEGMA. He served as a senior analyst, writing reports about the defense sector, international military engagement, and political economy in the Gulf region. Hedges spent another year (2009 to 2010) working as a research assistant for INEGMA in Dubai.
3. Hedges’ Wife Says the British Government Totally Mishandled the Case & Needs to Do More to Free Him
Hedges married Daniela Tejada two years ago. Tejada lives in London and is originally from Bogota, Colombia. Her Facebook page says that she studied humanities and law at the University of Exeter.
Tejada was allowed to visit Hedges once while he was jailed; she was also there at the end of his trial when the court announced that he had been convicted. Tejada said that Hedges began “shaking” when he heard the verdict.
Tejada said the British government needs to do much more to fight for Hedges and get him freed. “The British government must take a stand now for Matthew, one of their citizens,” Tejada told the Guardian. “They say that the UAE is an ally, but the overwhelmingly arbitrary handling of Matt’s case indicates a scarily different reality, for which Matt and I are being made to pay a devastatingly high price.”
4. Hedges Was Allegedly Held in ‘Inhumane Conditions’ & Began to Have Suicidal Thoughts
PM Theresa May “deeply disappointed and concerned” after UAE sentences British student Matthew Hedges to life in prison for spying t.co/XtZxMkp1sI
Hedges was put into solitary confinement when he was arrested. He was not given access to a lawyer until after his first two court appearance. Hedges does not speak Arabic and it is not clear whether he understood everything that was taking place.
In a letter to the Emirati prime minister, a group of British academics said that Hedges had been held in “inhumane” conditions which violated international standards. The group said that Hedges had been so badly treated that he had begun thinking about suicide.
The letter reads, “Since his detention, Matthew’s physical health and mental well-being have deteriorated. He was forced to sleep on the floor for the first few weeks after his arrest, denied access to proper shower facilities and prevented from receiving any reading material that might help allay his mental anguish. He has since expressed suicidal thoughts in the brief communications he has had with friends and family. The conditions in which he has been kept are degrading and inhumane and violate UN and internationally accepted practices over the detention of individuals.”
5. Hedges Spent Part of His Childhood in the UAE & Went to Boarding School in England
Hedges spent at least part of his childhood in the UAE, where his father reportedly still lives. As a boy, Hedges was sent away to boarding school in Cranleigh, graduating in 2006 and going on to earn a BA at the University of Exeter. He then earned an MA in “International Relations of the Middle East” at Exeter, writing a thesis titled “What has driven the UAE’s military spending since 2001.”
Hedges went on to Durham University, where he was a PhD candidate in the department of political science. He’s published one academic article about Gulf nations and their relationship to the Muslim Brotherhood.