UAE smears me by sharing medical records and intimate photos

In the dossier, Emirati authorities insisted Mr Hedges was allowed to shower once a week under UN minimum standards for prisoners.

But Mr Hedges said he was interrogated for up to 15 hours a day, noting that before he confessed his showers were limited to once a month and that at one stage he wore the same clothes for eight weeks.

He also dismissed the UAE’s claim that he had not complained about “ridiculous” treatment while in custody.

“The last thing you want to do in a situation like this is file a complaint and it could lead to a longer jail time,” he said. “You’re just in a rush to get out. Why are you criticizing those who control you when they have the power to do anything and they let you know.”

Mr Hedges added: “Their file date is the day after I gave evidence to the UN Committee against Torture in Geneva, where we were harassed and photographed by their delegation and their police commissioner in London.

“It was an act of open murder. It was done to pressure and intimidate me into shutting up. They operate in the same way the Russians and the Chinese do.”

He said: “You have to ask yourself, why are they releasing this dossier now? The UAE is the center of Russia’s anti-sanctions activities, and I recently emphasized that. This is a way to discredit me.”

UAE: Fully appropriate care and treatment

The UAE government said Mr Hedges had been convicted following a fair trial and had been treated under international standards while in custody.

The UAE government said in a statement: “Mr Hedges’ ongoing, well-funded and intensified campaign, and the escalation of his false claims in the public domain, have persuaded the UAE to provide some balancing information to the media.

“The release of reports and images of Mr Hedges while in custody in the UAE was carefully considered and is the result of Mr Hedges’ persistent and false allegations of his treatment. As the material shows, contrary to what he has always claimed, Mr Hedges has been fully appropriate care and treatment.

“He had bedding, reading materials, television, access to family, consular officials and lawyers, and extensive medical care. He was never subjected to or threatened with any form of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”