He is wanted, accused of overseeing the torture of the British – now the Emirati general is on his way to the UK

British student Matthew Hedges was going to get on a plane back to Great Britain from Dubai Airport when the Emirates authorities suddenly arrested himaccusing him of espionage.

It was May 5, 2018, and the graduate student had just finished a research trip for his PhD on aspects of the UAE’s external and internal security strategy.

While he was there, a man from the UAE apparently reported him to the authorities for “asking sensitive questions about some sensitive departments” and “seeking to collect classified information about the UAE”.

At the time, Mr Hedges was accused of working for MI6 and “espionage for or on behalf of” the UK government, a charge which the then head of the secret service, Sir Alex Younger, personally denied.

For almost eight months after that, the scientist said, he was interrogated for 15 hours a day, force-fed a cocktail of drugs, kept in a windowless room without a bed and denied access to the British embassy and his lawyers. Before he was sentenced to life imprisonment, he suffered from panic attacks and was subjected to severe psychological pressure.

It was only after the intense though late lobbying by the UK governmentinternational resonance and forced admission that Mr. Hedges was pardoned and released on November 26, 2018National day of the country. In the UAE, it was called a “merciful pardon.”

Mr Hedges said the ordeal left him with post-traumatic stress disorder and insomnia. Seven years later, he still has to take drugs by force-feeding meds.

Two months after Mr Hedges was pardoned, the UAE authorities detained another Briton, Ali Issa Ahmad, then 26. The Sudanese-born soccer fan was arrested in January 2019 after security officials pounced on him for unknowingly wearing a Qatar shirt. is an offense in the UAE punishable by a large fine and a long prison term.

For about three weeks, he said, he was beaten, cut and burned by the police and kept in solitary confinement. During his imprisonment, he was electrocuted, beaten and repeatedly deprived of food, water and sleep. They tried to kill him with a knife.

“I thought these would be my last moments,” he says.

UAE officials claimed Mr Ahmad had harmed himself and accused him of making false statements and wasting police time. He was convicted without any fair trial and then released on February 12.

Their cases are just two of “numerous” allegations against the UAE state security system of ill-treatment and torture of detainees, regardless of their innocence.

Joey Shea, a researcher at Human Rights Watch who specializes in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, says the documented allegations include enforced disappearances, prolonged solitary confinement, torture, physical assaults, ill-treatment and the use of extremely loud music to prevent prisoners from falling . is sleeping

On Monday, the man in charge of the state security services and the police, who reportedly carried out the torture and have since allegedly failed to investigate the two cases, will arrive in the UK.

Mr Hedges and Mr Ahmad are seeking his arrest.

Major General Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi, who was educated at the University of Cambridge and received his doctorate from London Metropolitan University, will touch down in Glasgow on Monday for the annual general assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

He is the director of the organization and was elected in November 2021 despite significant protests. Four years ago, the UAE donated $54 million (£42 million) to Interpol, which is almost equal to the required contributions of all 195 member states of the organization in 2020, which was $68 million.

Ms Shea said the appointment was clearly “part of a wider strategy by the UAE to whitewash its reputation and respect for human rights”.

“His position in this position speaks volumes for how concerned Interpol is about human rights,” she adds.

Three months after appointment The French prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation into torture and acts of barbarism allegedly committed by Mr. Raisi in relation to the cases of Mr Hedges and Mr Ahmad. The UAE has previously denied the allegations.

After Mr Raizi appeared in Lyon, where Interpol is headquartered, the major general was summoned to appear before a French judge for questioning in June 2023.

He did not appear on this date. A day later, the judge continued the questioning of the two Britons, and more evidence was provided to help prosecute the Interpol director.

If he visits France again, the judge may require him to testify. In addition, they can request an international arrest warrant.

But before Mr Raizi arrives in Glasgow, Mr Hedges and Mr Ahmad are demanding that Police Scotland follow suit and launch their own investigation.

“The torture that I suffered, the series of abuses that others in the UAE suffered, ultimately under the leadership of Mr Raisi,” says Mr Hedges. “Any setbacks that happen, he’s the person who watches it.”

The couple lodged a criminal complaint with supporting evidence against Mr Raisi with Police Scotland. It was filed under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to arrest and prosecute those involved in torture who are on their territory, regardless of where the crimes were committed.

Rodney Dixon KC, Temple Garden Chambers, London and The Hague, acting for Mr Hedges and Mr Ahmad, said they believed the evidence presented “shows (Mr Raisi’s) responsibility for both cases”, given his role as Inspector General for the Home Office cases after 2015.

It contains medical evidence of what happened to both men and the issues they still struggle with.

The purpose of the complaint is twofold, says Mr Dixon. It is intended to show Mr Raisi’s “complicity” in the first acts of torture and his subsequent “command responsibility” for failing to investigate the actions when the UK Foreign Office made a formal complaint to the UAE about the cases of the two men.

Ms Shea says that apart from the two British cases, she has received “no indication that any allegations have been investigated” by Mr Raizi’s office.

However, for Mr Hedges, the pain of his treatment has been compounded by years of inaction by the UK government. The Foreign Office may have lodged a complaint, but they were forced to apologize to Mr Hedges after a lengthy hearing for the way they handled his case.

Despite this, British police refused to investigate Mr Raizi, so Mr Dixon said they were now making a complaint to Scottish police.

“The UK government knows what happened to me,” says Mr Hedges. “How could they know what happened and still just let this trial pass them by? Inaction is not an option.”

The Independent appealed to Interpol for comment.