UAE charges British student with ‘spying’
Tehran (KNA) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has charged a British Ph.D. student with “spying,” five months after he was detained and reportedly held in solitary confinement in the Persian Gulf Arab country.
Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old who was researching the UAE's foreign and internal security policies after the 2011 uprisings in dictatorially-ruled Arab countries, was arrested at Dubai airport on May 5 as he was leaving the country following a research trip.
"The Attorney General of United Arab Emirates... confirmed today that Mr. Matthew Hedges, a British Citizen, has been charged with spying for and on behalf of a foreign State, jeopardizing the military, economy, and political security of the UAE," the government said in a statement on Monday.
It was not immediately clear what foreign state Hedges had been charged with spying for.
The attorney general, Hamad al-Shamsi, claimed the charges were "based on legal evidence and findings from investigations that were carried out by the public prosecution."
He also claimed that Hedges had been posing as a researcher to cover his activities, alleging that the charges were backed by evidence gathered by investigators from his electronic devices.
The attorney general did not reveal a trial date, but Hedges' wife, Daniela Tejada, said she had been told his trial would resume on October 24.
Last week, Hedges appeared at a court in the capital, Abu Dhabi, after a first hearing earlier this month, but was not informed of any charges, Tejada said.
Source: PressTV