UAE pardons, releases British academic convicted of spying
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates said Monday it pardoned and released a British academic sentenced to life in prison on spying charges, ending a diplomatic dispute with its longtime Western ally while still alleging the researcher spied for MI6.
Matthew Hedges’ monthslong detention and sentencing last week came as relations between Britain and its onetime protectorate have been strained since the 2011 Arab Spring, the tension only worsening with the UAE’s military campaign in Yemen and its boycott of Qatar. Tens of thousands of British expatriates nevertheless fill lucrative jobs across the sheikhdoms of the UAE and more visit as tourists.
Emirati officials insisted they had developed a strong case against Hedges. At a meeting of journalists hastily convened in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, officials showed short video clips of Hedges purportedly acknowledging his intelligence work.
“He was a part-time PhD researcher, a part-time businessman, but he was a 100-per cent a full-time secret service operative,” said Jaber al-Lamki, an official with the UAE’s National Media Council.