New York University urged to use UAE links to help jailed UK academic

Academics ask New York University to use its Abu Dhabi campus to press the UAE government for the release of Matthew Hedges

Around 200 academics from New York University have called on their institution to publicly condemn the life imprisonment of the Durham PhD student accused of spying by the United Arab Emirates.

In a letter addressed to NYU president, Andrew Hamilton, the academics said the university, which has a campus in Abu Dhabi, should use its ties with the UAE government to press for the release of Matthew Hedges, whose detention they describe as unjustified and "tantamount to torture".