UAE says UK avoiding case of British ‘spy’ detained at Dubai airport
Wife of academic says he has been kept in solitary confinement since May
The United Arab Emirates has been in contact with British authorities about a British academic since soon after he was detained in May, a senior UAE official said on Friday, amid suggestions that he would be charged with espionage.
London has said little about the detention of Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old doctoral student at Durham University, who appeared in a court in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Hedges’ wife Daniela Tejada said on Thursday he had been detained without explanation at Dubai International Airport on May 5 after a two-week research visit, and held in solitary confinement ever since.
She said he had not been informed of the charges. The court appointed a lawyer to review the case and adjourned it until October 24.
An Emirati source familiar with the case, who was not authorised to speak publicly, said Hedges would be charged with espionage, but that the court was waiting for his lawyer to review the case.
On Twitter, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash indicated that the UAE was disappointed with Britain’s response.