The UK government has been accused by the parliamentary ombudsman of failing to notice that an academic detained in the United Arab Emirates might have been tortured.
Matthew Hedges, a British researcher, was sentenced to life in prison in 2018, after being found guilty of “spying for or on behalf of” the UK government.
Mr Hedges, then a PhD student specialising in Middle Eastern politics at Durham University, was eventually pardoned following international media coverage of his situation.
During his six-month detention in Abu Dhabi, Mr Hedges said he was interrogated for eight to 15 hours a day, kept in solitary confinement, and was forcibly given medication. He suffered panic attacks and was placed under intense psychological pressure.
