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Foreign Secretary says UAE faces serious consequences for convicting British academic

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Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the UAE will face “serious diplomatic consequences” after convicting British student Matthew Hedges on spying charges.

Durham University PhD candidate Matthew Hedges was sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly spying on behalf of the UK government. The Foreign Secretary said the sentence is “absolutely devastating” and that he was “incredibly disappointed” with the UAE authorities. He said there was no credible evidence of the charges against the Durham student and he affirmed that he had personally raised the issue with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed last week.

A representative for the family said his lawyer was not in court on Wednesday to represent him and the trial lasted just five minutes. Daniela Tejada, Hedges’ wife, said that her husband is unable to speak Arabic, so was not able to consult properly with his legal team during proceedings.

Hunt said “there will be serious diplomatic consequences for a country that says it is a friend and ally of the UK,” complicating otherwise close bilateral relations. Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “deeply disappointed and concerned” about the case and would be raising it with the Emirati authorities “at the highest level”.

Hedges traveled to the UAE in late April for a two-week research trip. On 5 May Hedges was detained at passport control at Dubai International Airport where he was due to fly back to the UK. He was taken to Abu Dhabi and held in solitary confinement with limited access to British consular officials and his family. State-linked media in the UAE have indicated that Hedges had confessed to spying for a foreign state. He was charged on 16 October.

Hamad al-Shamsi, the UAE’s attorney-general, said Hedges had been sentenced after pleading guilty to the charges. He has the right to appeal against the verdict at the federal Supreme Court, where evidence could be re-examined, the attorney-general added.

The Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, Professor Stuart Corbridge said: “Following a period in which he was detained in conditions which breached his human rights this judgement has been delivered in the absence of anything resembling due process or a fair trial. We are committed to doing what we can to get Matt home safely and swiftly.”

The UAE is home to around 100,000 Britons and is the UK’s largest export market in the Middle East. The UK has issued licences for at least £552m of arms sales to the country over the past three years.