Human Rights Watch says Matthew Hedges did not receive fair trial
472 views · Published 27 November 2018 · 3:18 · Indexed 28 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(22 Nov 2018) Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that British academic Matthew Hedges, who was sentenced to life in prison for espionage in the United Arab Emirates, did not receive a fair trial. Hiba Zayadin from the Human Rights Watch in Jordan said that UAE authorities have been launching sustained assaults on freedom of expression since 2011 by targeting, arresting and prosecuting journalists, academics, human rights activists and dissidents. Zayadin called upon UK authorities to speak more broadly on human rights issues in the Gulf following Hedges' case. Hedges' wife has condemned the U.K. government for putting diplomatic relations ahead of an innocent man's freedom. Daniela Tejada told the BBC that Foreign Office officials bungled the case of her husband, 31-year-old Ph.D. student Matthew Hedges, who was arrested May 5 at Dubai Airport. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt expressed shock at the verdict Wednesday, which was unusual for a Briton in the UAE not accused of a violent crime. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c04e0e8c16e8c57c2217af82d7375e54
