The Latest Breaking News from Matthew Hedges

New special envoy for Britons detained overseas warns of limits of role

Alistair Burt speaks candidly about difficulties of tackling complex cases as families express concern over mandate

The Guardian - UK · Sep 14

Mia O'Brien, 23, to Appeal 25-Year Dubai Sentence After One-Day Trial Conducted Entirely in Arabic

British law student Mia O'Brien, 23, is appealing a 25-year prison sentence handed down after a one-day Arabic-only trial in Dubai. Human rights advocates warn that her case highlights deep flaws in the UAE's justice system and call for UK diplomatic intervention.

International Business Times UK · Oct 5, 2025

“She Was A Law Student”: GoFundMe Page For 23YO Woman Jailed For Life In Dubai Gets Canceled

"I haven't seen my daughter since last October.”

Bored Panda · Sep 6, 2025

Calls for special envoy to help release Britons held for years without fair trial

The families of Britons imprisoned abroad accuse the Foreign Office of caring more about ‘not upsetting’ relations with key trade partners than calling for the release of their loved ones.

The Independent UK · Oct 8, 2024

Foreign Office ‘quiet diplomacy’ futile in overseas arrest cases, says expert

Academic tortured in UAE tells families of Britons arrested in controversial circumstances abroad to go public promptly

The Guardian - UK · Jun 5, 2024

The Tories happily overlooked the UAE’s human rights record – until it came for the Telegraph

Doing business as usual with despots seems suddenly unpalatable for some in the party

The Guardian - UK · Dec 3, 2023

‘Brand Dubai’: how the city-state is using Cop28 climate talks to build influence

The emirate hosting the UN’s climate conference is selling a gilded vision of aspiration built on oil and everything it powers

The Guardian - UK · Dec 1, 2023

Murder confession frees man after 10 years in jail

Wassim Tiriaki will walk free next year after his co-accused admitted being responsible for the 2011 shooting of Matthew Hedges.

AAP · Dec 1, 2023

‘Don’t be naive like I was’: UK academic advises Cop28 attenders to stay safe

Matthew Hedges, tortured in UAE in 2018, tells reporters and activists to take clean phones and watch who they deal with

The Guardian - UK · Nov 30, 2023

Foreign Office apologises to academic for failing to spot torture signs

Matthew Hedges was detained in Abu Dhabi between May and November 2018, after being accused of working for MI6.

The Independent UK · Sep 4, 2023