Published on: 01/14/2023 – 08:33 Modified on: 01/14/2023 – 14:43
Iranian-British Alireza Akbari was executed by hanging, Iran’s judicial authority said on Saturday. Tehran accused him of acting on behalf of British secret services. The UK immediately condemned a “barbaric act” that “will not go unanswered”.
Another execution in Iran. An Iranian-British man has been executed by hanging after being sentenced to death for spying for British intelligence, Iran’s judicial authority Mizan Online said on Saturday (14 January).
Former senior Iranian defense official Alireza Akbari, 61, has been convicted of “corrupting corruption on Earth and undermining the country’s internal and external security for transmitting intelligence information” to the UK, according to Mizan Online.
His execution came three days after the Iranian judiciary announced the death sentence for the man who was portrayed as a “key spy” for the British “Intelligence Service” (SIS) because of “the importance of his position”.
Amnesty has denounced a “vile attack” by Iran “against the right to life”. For its part, London condemned a “barbaric act” that “won’t go unanswered.” Tehran summoned the British ambassador to do so.
The death penalty to undermine the insurgency: This is the Iranian authorities’ dirty method of repression.
Let’s not abandon the Iranian people. Let’s carry her voice: #Stop executions in Iran
It’s urgent. 👇 https://t.co/fpgGijz2JK
– Amnesty International France (@amnestyfrance) December 22, 2022
“A Barbaric Regime”
London will “summon the Iranian chargĂ© d’affaires to convey our disgust,” said British diplomatic chief James Cleverly. “This is a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has utter disregard for human life,” he said.
>> Repression in Iran: these faces on death row
On Thursday, official Iranian media reported that Alireza Akbari has held senior positions in the security and defense apparatus.
According to the IRNA news agency, he was a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) before holding important positions such as “Deputy Secretary of Defense for Foreign Affairs”, head of a unit at a ministerial research center, “adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Marine”, without specifying when he held these offices.
He also worked in the “Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council,” IRNA said, adding that Alireza Akbari was arrested between March 2019 and March 2020.
The United States on Friday said it joined the United Kingdom in urging Iran not to execute Alireza Akbari.
Suspicion of dual citizenship
“The charges against Alireza Akbari and his death sentence are politically motivated and his execution would be inadmissible,” Deputy Foreign Spokesman Vedant Patel said.
Iran regularly announces the arrest of agents suspected of working for foreign intelligence agencies, including Israel.
Relations between Tehran and London have been strained in recent years by the arrests of several dual nationals.
In early December, Iran executed four people accused of collaborating with Israeli intelligence.
The execution of Alireza Akbari comes as Iran was rocked by protests sparked by the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, after she was arrested for breaking the strict dress code in the country Islamic Republic for Women.
The Iranian judiciary has upheld the death sentences against 18 people linked to the demonstrations, according to a count compiled by AFP from official announcements. Four of them have already been executed, causing an international outcry.
With AFP