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| Matthew Hedges: Academic 'psychologically tortured' in UAE jail | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The British academic jailed for spying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has told how he endured "psychological torture". | |
| Matthew Hedges, 31, said he was drugged by the Emirati authorities and forced to stand "all day" in ankle cuffs. | |
| Mr Hedges said he suffered panic attacks and had suicidal thoughts. | |
| He told the BBC he was asked to act as a double agent in the UK's Foreign Office, and confessed to being a captain in MI6 to stop the "torture". | |
| The UAE government said the Durham academic was "100% a spy" but pardoned him on 26 November. | |
| He had denied spying and said he had been researching his PhD, but was jailed for life last month after a five-minute trial. | He had denied spying and said he had been researching his PhD, but was jailed for life last month after a five-minute trial. |
| Speaking to John Humphrys on the Today programme on Radio 4, he said being in a cell was "was lonely and isolating". | |
| He said: "There was no natural light - I wasn't allowed to do anything to distract myself. My mental health was deteriorating. | |
| "I was handcuffed and blindfolded. I had to stand all day in ankle cuffs." | |
| 'Adrenaline kicked in' | |
| He said he was accompanied by four guards just to go to the bathroom. | |
| Mr Hedges said standing in ankle cuffs was "mentally exhausting", but that adrenaline would kick in and help him cope. | |
| He said shortly before his arrest he was due to have counselling to deal with anxiety and depression. | |
| He said: "I could not manage my thoughts throughout the incarceration." | |
| He also said he regularly had panic attacks and some nights he dreamt of hanging himself in his cell. | |
| Confessed under pressure | |
| He said he was only able to speak to his wife Daniela Tejada - who had been campaigning for his release - once a week. | |
| During hours of interrogations he said the psychological pressure was so great he confessed. | |
| "I panicked and told them I was a captain in MI6 - I told them what they wanted to hear." | |
| He also spoke of how he felt when he was sentenced to life in prison. | |
| "It was total shock - I wasn't able to process it. I couldn't say goodbye to Danni." |