- The United Arab Emirates on Monday pardoned a British academic who was sentenced to life in prison on spying charges.
- Matthew Hedges was given his life sentence last week at a five-minute trial.
- Emirati officials at a Monday news conference showed clips of Hedges purportedly confessing to being a captain of MI6 and discussing his research in relation to the British spy agency.
- Journalists weren't allowed to record the video.
- Hedges' wife previously denied the espionage charges but said that she was "willing to admit to anything" to secure his freedom.
The United Arab Emirates pardoned Matthew Hedges, a British PhD student who sentenced to life in prison on spying charges, on Monday after showing videos of him purportedly confessing to working for MI6.
Hedges, a 31-year-old doctoral student in Middle Eastern studies at Durham University, has been in detention since he was arrested at the Dubai airport in May. He was sentenced to life in prison during a five-minute hearing last Wednesday.
The UAE president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, pardoned Hedges on Monday as part of the country's National Day, effective immediately, the state-run WAM news agency reported.
He was one of 785 convicts pardoned.
Emirati officials at a news conference on Monday also showed footage of Hedges appearing to describe himself as MI6, Britain's foreign spy agency, during what looked like a court hearing in the country, the Associated Press reported.
Another video showed Hedges speak to someone in an office and saying: "It helps the research to go in in an easy way." He is then seen snapping his fingers and saying: "Then it becomes MI6."
Journalists at the news conference were not allowed to record the video being shown.
Hedges had no lawyer present at his five-minute court hearing last Wednesday. He was found "guilty of the crime of spying for and on behalf of a foreign state, jeopardising the military, economic and political security of the UAE," WAM said.
UAE Attorney General Hamad Al Shamsi also said that during his questioning, Hedges "admitted to the claims against him, which were identical to evidence and information gained from his own electronic devices and investigations conducted by the UAE's security agencies," according to the Al-Arabiya news channel, which is funded by the government of Saudi Arabia.
His wife, Daniela Tejada, denied that her husband was a spy. She also said that she was "willing to admit to anything" as long as he would be free.
She told Britain's Channel 4 news channel: "I'm willing to admit to anything as long as I have my husband back with me… although we all know he isn't guilty of what he's been accused of."
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: "Fantastic news about Matthew Hedges. Although we didn't agree with charges we are grateful to UAE government for resolving issue speedily."
Anwar Gargash, the UAE foreign minister, said according to WAM: "The gracious Presidential customary National Day pardon allows us to close this chapter and to concentrate on the many positive aspects of the relationship."