Dear supporters, 

I must start by thanking you for the compassion, generosity and political awareness that you’ve raised for our British Rights Abroad campaign since we launched on Monday. Thanks to YOUR actions, we have reached a mind-blowing 200,000 signatures and counting - our hearts are filled with hope and determination to continue to battle after seeing such a response.

I am Daniela Tejada, co-founder of the British Rights Abroad Group alongside Richard Ratcliffe, Yemisrach Hailemariam, Gurpreet Singh Johal and Yvonne Irving. I’m the wife of Matthew Hedges. 

Over the next few months we’ll be telling the stories of people behind our call for change. Today I want to tell you mine & Matt’s story.

My husband, an innocent young man, was arbitrarily detained last year in the UAE after a two-week research trip for his doctoral thesis at Durham University. He spent 7 months of hell, held in solitary confinement, in state-led extrajudicial conditions. During that time he was heavily interrogated without access to a lawyer, held incommunicado for prolonged periods, forced to stand shackled for up to 15 hours at a time, denied regular showers or a change of clothes for months, forced to sleep on the floor with bright white lights or in absolute darkness. He was force-fed an unhealthy cocktail of medication without the consent of an independent medical assessment; as a consequence, he is still dependent on said medications today - 9 months after having been released.

The FCO failed to defend his fundamental Human Rights, resulting in them being directly violated. Matt is now a free man, but a deeply scarred one – I now have my husband back, for which I thank life, but I, along with the British Rights Abroad Group families, want to stop this from happening to other British citizens in the future. 

Currently, the British Government isn’t legally obliged to defend and protect its citizens’ rights abroad. This discretionary policy means that, as a consular worker told me once at the peak of our ordeal, the FCO has “no duty of care" and as such doesn’t even have to be involved in trying to assist you.

I am not a British national, but I love Britain as if it were my home country. My husband is British, and so will be the child that I hope to have one day with him. Along with the families of four other British victims, I am heading this campaign for those Britons whose human rights have been or continue to be violated abroad, and above all, for all those who might be spared the months of agony that we have lived - if only their government stands firmly to defend their human dignity.

Indeed, this campaign transcends Nazanin, Jagtar, Andy, Bill and Matt’s rights…this campaign is about every British citizen’s rights. Just like you, they are ordinary, innocent people - whose freedom and Human Rights were jeopardised at the whim of politics and misfortune. We are asking the British government to stand for their rights, which are the same as YOUR rights. 

There are a few things that you can do now to help our fight to get the British Government to properly protect it’s citizens: 

1. Help make sure Boris Johnson is aware of what we’re calling for by sharing the public letter we wrote in the Telegraph demanding change. 

2. Follow us on Twitter for even more regular updates on the campaign

3. Join us. If you or a loved one has been affected by lacking or inappropriate consular assistance by the British Government and would like to join our campaign. Please get in touch with us at britishrightsabroadgroup@gmail.com
 

Thank you again for your support and care.

With warmest regards,

Daniela