The United Arab Emirates is considering whether to grant clemency to British academic Matthew Hedges who was sentenced to life in prison for espionage.

The ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in London Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui said that Mr Hedges’ family has requested clemency and the government is considering it.

However, speaking on Friday (local time), the ambassador said the espionage case against the 31-year-old “was an extremely serious case” and that he had been convicted based on “compelling evidence” after a full and fair judicial process.

“The crimes Mr Hedges was accused of are extremely serious. For the UAE, like all countries, protecting our national security must be our first priority,” he said.

The ambassador denied claims that Mr Hedges received only a brief court hearing before being convicted on very serious charges and said the British academic had proper legal representation in court.

The ambassador says he has met with British officials to discuss the case, which has threatened close ties between the two friendly countries.

Mr Hedges is a Ph.D. student who was arrested May 5 at Dubai Airport after a research trip to the UAE.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science in the UAE who is well-connected to Emirati officials, said he believes the government “must” have credible evidence against Mr Hedges.

“I think what they have probably against him is that he does work for a government, with probably name tag, with ranking, with evidence,” he said.

He said some sort of pardon is possible and that the case is unlikely to damage the “hugely important mutually beneficial relationship” between the UAE and Britain.

The UAE is strategically located on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and the British military trains with UAE troops.

The emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai are home to large numbers of British nationals who work in areas ranging from finance to sports, and thousands of tourists visit the country each year, attracted by sunny beaches, luxury hotels and theme parks.

Ties also include lucrative defence contracts that are important to UK companies.

‘ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED’
Mr Hedges’ wife, Daniela Tejada said her husband is “absolutely terrified” and is “not well”.

“He is just absolutely terrified at the idea of having to spend the rest of his life behind bars for an offence he hasn’t committed,” she told the BBC, after being allowed to talk to her husband on the phone for the first time since his sentencing.

“His panic attacks have become worse than they were before, however he did say he has access to a doctor.

“I don’t know yet whether he has been able to have access to the prescription he had been given during this time of bail, which was working wonders for him.

“I wasn’t allowed to know where he is, we still don’t know anything about his whereabouts.”

But Ms Tejada, who was also in the court when her husband was sentenced and described how he was “shaking” in front of the judge, said after meeting with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Thursday that she believes British authorities are working to free her husband.

UAE Ambassador to UK Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui said the espionage case against Mr Hedges “was an extremely serious case” and that he had been convicted based on “compelling evidence”.

“He [Jeremy Hunt] has assured me that he and his team are doing everything in their power to get Matt free and return him home to me,” she said.

“This is not a fight I can win alone and I thank the Foreign Office and the British public for now standing up for one of their citizens.”

More than 160,000 people have signed an online petition set up by Ms Tejada.