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| Arabia |
| UAE to consider ‘clemency’ for convicted Briton |
| 2018-11-24 |
| [DAWN] The ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in London said on Friday his government is studying whether to grant clemency to a convicted British academic sentenced to life in prison for espionage. Ambassador Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui said that academic Matthew Hedges’ family has requested clemency and the government is considering it. He said the espionage case against the 31-year-old Hedges "was an extremely serious case" and that he had been convicted based on "compelling evidence" after a full and fair judicial process. "The crimes Mr Hedges was accused of are extremely serious. For the UAE, like all countries, protecting our national security must be our first priority," he said. The ambassador denied claims that Hedges received only a brief court hearing before being convicted on very serious charges and said the British academic had proper legal representation in court. The ambassador says he has met with British officials to discuss the case, which has threatened close ties between the two friendly countries. Hedges is a PhD student who was tossed in the calaboose Please don't kill me! on May 5 at Dubai Airport after a research trip to the UAE. |
| Posted by:Fred |