The United Arab Emirates pardoned a British academic jailed for life on spying charges, granting his family’s request for clemency minutes after showing a video of him purportedly confessing to being a member of UK intelligence agency MI6.
The UAE president issued the pardon as part of a mass clemency of more than 700 prisoners to mark the country’s National Day, according to a statement carried by state news agency WAM.
The pardon was effective immediately and Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old doctoral student at Durham University held for more than six months, will be allowed to leave the country “once formalities are completed,” the statement said.
Britain’s foreign minister welcomed the move, saying the UK government had not agreed with the charges against Hedges but was grateful to the UAE for resolving the issue speedily.
Trending
- TRUMP SAYS US PHARMA TARIFFS COMING IN NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE
- ZUCKERBERG DISPUTES US ANTITRUST CASE IN TRIAL TESTIMONY
- SINGAPORE DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT AHEAD OF IMMINENT ELECTION
- IRAN DEMANDS END TO US SANCTIONS
- TRUMP MEETS EL SALVADOR’S PRESIDENT OVER DEPORTATIONS
- US AND UK ARE WORKING VERY HARD ON TRADE DEAL
- GOVERNMENT ‘NOT RULING OUT’ ANOTHER CHINESE PARTNER
- BRITISH STEEL SECTOR SHUTS OUT CHINA