UAE pardons PHD academic

I am so pleased that he is to be released but what a strange episode. I wonder what is behind it. To have imposed such a draconian sentence and then to suddenly reverse it seems very odd to me.

I do think he’s been playing with fire though all his work and thesis etc seem to be on very delicate subjects involving Arms and politics of the area The Spring rising The Muslim Brotherhood etc He s worked for various companies in analyse etc of these problems He knows the countries well his parents worked out there he spent all his school holidays there and has lived and worked there in later life as has his wife and yet he knows none of the language
I m not saying UAE was correct or he was wrong just simply that it’s not just a young British student who happened to be there doing a thesis and was accused out of the blue

It is good news for his family, a huge relief. But I just hope work is going on for Nazari behind the scenes, it's like cat and mouse releasing her and then dragging her back inside.

The Nazanin case is also very strange.

The story from the family is that she had gone back to her own country to visit her parents, and to introduce her child to them. All very innocent sounding, yet she has been imprisoned for being a spy.

Boris Johnson said she was training journalists out there, but then backtracked on that.

All very strange.

Thanks for that background information, BlueBelle

As for BJ and the Nazanin case, BJ is a proven liar. I don't think that what he said is even worth considering..

I think there was certainly more to this than we will ever know.

I do too gillybob.

I expect we have exchanged him for someone they want back.

My thoughts exactly Teetime .

I sometimes think they are either very naive or there is more to it.
An investigative journalist who has critisised the regime for years and then visits and has meetups with other journalists surely must know she is asking for trouble.

Also the daft American Missionary who was killed by the tribesmen on the Indian island.
He could have wiped those people out one of the reasons to keep them secure is to stop 'modern' dieases. They have no immunity.

What I always find strange about these imprisonment cases is how there are always those who delight in their release without having any idea as to whether they are guilty or not.

I don't know this man or the Iranian woman, so it would be impossible for me to say whether one (or both) of them should be released.

Felice where did you get the information about NZR that she was an investigative journalist who had criticised the regime for years? I can’t find anything like that

You need to be very careful in a lot of countries, do or say the wrong thing at the wrong time can cause you a lot of problems. We can say anything about our government or religion with no consequences, do that in many countries and will get you arrested.
On one trip I was crossing the border between 2 African countries, there were 4 rowdy South Africans in front of us, the customs officer asked them to remove their hats in front of the Presidents photograph. They declined laughing, the 4 bored police instantly woke up and arrested them, I'm not sure how much in finebribes they paid, quite likely $500.

He was supposed to know all about the UAE though and their ways, it’s all a bit odd.

He was too inept to be a spy though, wandering around asking political questions etc.

Good.
They obviously wanted something from us and Hunt proved less inept than Johnson.

A good description Bluebelle, he must have known what he was doing was politically sensitive. It is not unusual for people to receive a pardon for UEA day, it is a big celebration there, and an expedient move by the rulers to stop bad press.
I agree with Davidh, people forget living in Europe how differently we live to other parts of the world and take our freedoms for granted, but in many other countries people live in very different regimes with harsh penalties, different cultures and restrictive attitudes.

Maryliza54, professor Ahmadreza Djalali from VUB University here in Brussels has been sentenced to death in Iran.
One of the Walloon TV stations did a programme on people from Europe held in prison there on possibly spurious charges.
It was brought up during the programme that Nazareen had openly critisised the regime prior to visiting Iran.
After BJs comments I imagine any comments on such matters are kept out of the media in the UK.

The UAE must have wanted something from the UK and this entire episode was planned around that.
It's a bit of a mystery isn't it, why these people who 'know' the country they're visiting or planning to work in, yet put themselves right in harms way.

Yes Iam64, I have a Turkish friend here, a University Professor who has not visited Turkey since the arrests of academics.
He had no part in the 'coup' but does not trust the regime not to arrest him just because he is also an academic.

Nazanin is quite simply being held as a hostage because the Iranians want the British Government to pay to the country money they claim is being withheld from them.

A young mother makes the perfect hostage and someone whose story will always be in the news, will pull on people's heart strings and in Iranian terms makes the 'perfect' hostage.

Matthew Hedges was certainly researching an area of middle eastern government that would be considered sensitive in the middle east. Despite the Arab Spring many middle eastern countries are rowing backwards and becoming more autocratic and less open, while continuing to spout about democracy and the like. The Khasoggi murder has shown just how autocratic and immune from criticism they consider themselves to be.

Exactly Monica, I agree with your comment that many middle eastern countries are becoming more autocratic and less open.
I was invited to Istanbul by friends last year. I've been twice, love the city and enjoyed previous visits but, I declined. The change in the political climate in turkey is evident even in what has been a cosmopolitan city.

Matthew Hedges was very naïve imo and, if he has lived in the UAE previously he should perhaps have known better than to go around asking awkward questions.

There are thousands of British people who visit the UAE or who live there without any problems.
Different countries, different governments, different laws. People should respect and obey the laws of the country they are visiting.

Yes I agree Jalima it seems he knew the country well but behaved at best naively, I'm not altogether sure I believe his story. However if he was spying he was very inept.