Frank Gardner
BBC Security Correspondent

The UAE is a close ally of Britain. That makes this case all the harder to comprehend.

Despite his official pardon, UAE officials remain adamant that - in their view - Matthew Hedges was caught red-handed spying for Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, which he denies.

In an earlier video-taped confession shown at a news conference in Abu Dhabi today, Mr Hedges was shown describing himself as "a captain in MI6".

No such rank exists in MI6, which does not use military ranks.

For operational reasons, the UK government has a longstanding policy of Neither Confirm Nor Deny (NCND) whether someone is working for its intelligence agencies.

As Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt is the person to whom both MI6 and GCHQ answer to. He has stopped short of publicly denying that Hedges was working for MI6 but has said he has seen no basis for the charges against him.

This case differs markedly from those citizens jailed in Iran in that the UAE, as an ally, has shown it wants to see it resolved as quickly as possible.

BBC Radio 4

Sir Richard Dalton served as a diplomat from 1970 to 2006, specialising in the Middle East, where he was the UK's ambassador to several countries.

He said that it is very difficult to get the UAE authorities to change their behaviour.

He added: "There's the wider issue of trying to get more countries over time to develop due process.

"Which is recognisable as giving full rights to the accused.

"But that's a very long term project and there's strict limits to what outside countries like ours can do by way of lecturing other countries to manage their judicial systems."

Relief was the overriding emotion at Durham University when Matthew Hedges was pardoned, a senior professor said.

Professor John Williams, the head of Durham University’s school of government and international affairs told BBC Tees: “It’s fantastic news especially for Matt and his family.

“Daniela Tejada deserves an immense amount of credit over the work she has done to get to this position.”

He said they were looking forward to him being back in the UK.

He said: “I’ve been very clear that I don’t believe that Matthew Hedges is a spy in any way, shape or form.

"The UAE government will stick to its position (that he is a spy). I’m not surprised that’s the line they’re taking, all that matters to me is he is released.

“We are looking carefully at everything we have done in the past, everything in the future, certainly reviewing the links with the UAE

“I am sure most fair-minded people can look at this and make their own minds up about Matt and the charges he went through.”

He said one “bright point” had been the support from other academics and members of the public.

Prof Williams said: “That’s been immensely valuable. It’s been really heartening to see support from all walks of life, it’s been one of the few bright points.”

Paul Adams
BBC diplomatic correspondent

Matthew Hedges' six-month nightmare is almost over.

Pardoned this morning, he's expected to fly home in the coming hours.

Senior officials in the UAE say the pardon is a mark of what they describe as the fundamental strength of the UAE's relationship with Britain.

But they continue to insist that Matthew Hedges was guilty of spying.

A UAE government spokesman said Mr Hedges had two identities, one as a PhD researcher, the other as a businessman.

But, the spokesman said, he was a full time secret service operative.

The Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has welcomed Mr Hedges' release, calling it a very important gesture.

But he said he'd never seen any evidence against him.

And Mr Hedges' wife, Daniela, has said she's happy, relieved and incredulous. She says she knows her husband isn't a spy and just wants him back.

Paul Adams
BBC diplomatic correspondent

Matthew Hedges is now out of detention and on his way to the British embassy in the UAE, according to a family spokeswoman.

Matthew Hedges is no stranger to the Middle East. He had spent time there when he was younger and had worked in the region for several years.

But on a research trip for his PhD at Durham University in May he was arrested.

As well as his PhD, he describes himself as "an intelligence analyst at a cyber-intelligence firm in the UK" and has been an advisor for consultancy firm Gulf State Analytics since January 2016.

Corporate investigations, due diligence and research also appear in his areas of freelance consultancy expertise.

His research covers subjects such as defence, security, international affairs and military policy in the Middle East.

You can find out more about him here.

Image source, FAMILY HANDOUT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

BBC Radio 4

Former UK diplomat Sir Richard Dalton added: "Middle Eastern judicial systems prefer confessions because their other capabilities of establishing guilt are weaker than they should be.

"It is quite easy to get someone, using psychological pressures - isolation, absence of contact with lawyers - to admit thinks which they know are untrue, but on the basis that an admission will get them better treatment.

"But often one finds that even after an admission has been made, instead of it being better treatment, it's worse in the form of a more draconian sentence."

BBC Radio 4

Former UK diplomat Sir Richard Dalton, who was ambassador to a number of Middle East countries, told Radio 4's World at One programme: "In welcoming and thanking the UAE government for their decision, Mr Hunt has made clear the British government has not seen any evidence to sustain the charges (of spying).

"So yes I do think it is an excellent result for diplomacy."

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Some Arab online users have questioned whether such a pardon as given to Durham academic Matthew Hedges should also be extended to others imprisoned in the UAE.

"Would it not be better to pardon UAE (imprisoned) citizens, especially women, as long as the occasion is the National Day?" user @waiddo questioned.

"The pardon granted by the UAE today for Matthew Hedges... Shouldn't it be followed by a similar pardon for dissidents who are currently under arrest or pursuit?" asked Egypt's former Brotherhood-era minister Mohamed Mahsoob.

The UAE's pardoning of Hedges came just five days after he had been sentenced to life in prison on charges of spying on the Gulf country.

The Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has thanked the UAE for pardoning British academic, Matthew Hedges, who was jailed for spying.

Press Association

The family of a Durham academic pardoned after a spy charge has contradicted officials in the United Arab Emirates who said he has been released from jail.

A spokesman with the UAE's National Media Council said hours after Matthew Hedges' pardon was confirmed that he had been freed, but his wife's spokeswoman said that is untrue.

The 31-year-old, originally from Exeter, was arrested at Dubai Airport as he tried to leave the country on May 5.

Last week he was sentenced to life in prison but on Monday he was pardoned, as part of the country's National Day pardons.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Arab online users have reacted to the UAE's decision to pardon British academic Matthew Hedges with criticism, targeting UAE authorities with questions about the country's "sovereignty".

"Such countries (like the UAE) are just colonies that are incapable of making independent decisions," user @snjaar said.

Echoing the same sentiment, Qatari user @abdulla117117 severely criticised the pardon, saying it was granted despite Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed's will, "because he knows that if he does not release him (Hedges), he will get a smack to the face".

"Because Britain is strong and bold, the UAE acted like a terrified rat and had to release the British academic," Palestinian user @OsamaAbuirshaid said.

However, some users welcomed the decision to pardon Hedges. Among them was political science professor and former presidential adviser Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, who congratulated the British academic on his release, despite previously maintaining that the UAE had "solid evidences" against him.

Others commented on the UAE authorities' decision to release a video of Hedges' confession simultaneously with the announcement of his pardoning.

"The joke is that Abu Dhabi revealed a video (of Hedges) confessing that he is a spy for Britain, and pardoned him at the same time," @OsamaAbuirshaid added.

An organisation which provides representation to foreign nationals in the UAE is calling on the Government to increase its travel warnings.

Radha Stirling from Detained in Dubai said: "The British government has been negligent about the real risks posed to UK citizens when they travel to the UAE, and they have been inadequate in their response when Britons subsequently face legal problems in the Emirates.

"We have pushed the British government to increase its travel warnings about the UAE to, for instance, caution travellers about the severe curtailments of free speech in the country, where someone can be jailed over a tweet, a Facebook post, or even a WhatsApp message to a friend."

Professor Clive Jones of Durham University worked with Mr Hedges and says there is a lot of help available for him.

He said: "Matthew will take time to readjust but he will get all the support that we can offer from Durham.

"That's been made clear to him and to his wife Dani and to his wider family.

"We have a very, very strong support network, and will do all we can to make sure he can settle back into an academic life."

Image source, Durham University

A colleague of Matthew Hedges says he and others involved in academia are aware of the risks associated with travelling to the United Arab Emirates.

Andreas Krieg said: "We have known the Emirates from all countries in the Gulf are probably the most repressive when it comes to civil liberties so you have to apply due diligence and a lot of really good risk assessments when you decide to do research in the UAE, particularly on issues relating to their foreign policy and their relationship with other countries in the region.

"I know that I couldn't travel to the UAE at the moment considering the research that I am doing of UAE foreign policy in the region as well as the UAE's engagement in London and Washington because it's controversial and whenever something is controversial, when you are lucky you might not be able to enter the UAE, if you are unlucky such as Matt, you actually end up in jail."

An organisation which has provided representation for foreign nationals in the UAE has welcomed Matthew Hedges' pardoning but said it was "trying to get itself off the hook".

Radha Stirling (pictured) from Detained in Dubai said Mr Hedges should never have been arrested, locked in solitary confinement, tried or sentenced to life.

She said: "The pardon does not undo any of that, and indeed, Matthew’s innocence has not been admitted by the UAE.

"The wrongs done to him have not been acknowledged. Obviously we welcome Matthew’s release, but this is far from an optimal resolution.

“By pardoning Matthew, the UAE hopes to salvage its image with a seemingly humane act of clemency. They want this pardon to divert attention from the grave legal misconduct, civil and human rights violations, false prosecution, and flagrant disregard for their relationship with the UK, exposed by this case."

Image source, DETAINED IN DUBAI

The foreign secretary says the UK thanks the United Arab Emirates for pardoning Matthew Hedges.

Sky News diplomatic editor Dominic Waghorn says the UAE won't release video of Matthew Hedges apparently confessing to being a "captain in MI6".

The FT has previously reported SIS officers do not carry arms or have military rank., external

The Foreign Secretary pays tribute to Matthew Hedges and his wife Daniela Tejada.

Conservative MPs have been hailing the impact Jeremy Hunt had on getting Matthew Hedges released from prison on spying charges