British PHD student Matthew Hedges charged with 'spying for a foreign state' in UAE released on bail

Charged with spying: Matthew Hedges pictured with his wife Daniela Tejada
PA

A British PHD student charged with espionage in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been released on bail.

Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old doctoral student at Durham University, was arrested at Dubai Airport on May 5.

He was formally charged this month with spying on the Gulf state, where he has been held in solitary confinement.

The academic has now been released on bail, the Foreign Office confirmed on Monday night.

Matthew Hedges was detained at Dubai airport 
AFP/Getty Images

It was not immediately clear when he was released.

The UAE's Federal Court of Appeal last week postponed hearing Mr Hedge’s case until November 21 to re-examine the evidence.

A UAE government spokesperson could immediately be reached for comment outside working hours.

A spokeswoman for Britain's foreign office in London said: "We are monitoring developments closely and have made the Emirati authorities aware of all our concerns. We continue to do everything we can for Matthew and his family."

The BBC reported Hedges was released on bail without his passport and has been told to remain in the UAE until his next court appearance.

The UAE’s attorney general has said Hedges was charged with spying for a foreign state, without naming it, and jeopardising the military, economic and political security of the country.

More than 120 academics from around the world have issued a petition urging UAE authorities to release him.

According to Durham University’s website, Hedges is a doctoral student in the School of Government and International Affairs whose research interests include civil-military relations, political economy and tribalism.

Last year, he co-authored an article in an academic journal on the Muslim Brotherhood and the Gulf Cooperation Council, of which the UAE is a member.

The UAE is a tourism and trade hub for the Middle East, but tolerates little public criticism of its ruling families or policies and staunchly opposes the Islamist ideology of the Brotherhood.

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