Iran’s Supreme Court has sentenced an Iranian-British citizen, Alireza Akbari to death on charges of spying for the United Kingdom.
Iran’s judicial news agency Mizan Online reported on Wednesday that Akbari was given the sentence for “corruption on Earth and for harming the country’s internal and external security by passing on intelligence”.
According to Al Jazeera news, the former defence ministry official was described by Iran’s intelligence ministry as “one of the most important infiltrators of the country’s sensitive and strategic centres”.
Citing a statement from the intelligence ministry, Mizan said Akbari became a “key spy” for the United Kingdom’s “Secret Intelligence Service” – MI6 – because of “the importance of his position”.
On February 2, 2019, the official government newspaper Iran published an interview with Akbari, whom it identified as a “former deputy defence minister in the reformist government” of Mohammad Khatami, who served as Iranian president from 1997 to 2005.
The UK’s foreign minister, James Cleverly, reacting to this news said that the planned execution is “politically motivated” and demanded the immediate release of Akbari.
Sharing on his Twitter page, he said, “Iran must halt the execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari and immediately release him.
This is a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has total disregard for human life.”
Iran must halt the execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari and immediately release him.
This is a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has total disregard for human life.
— James Cleverly???????? (@JamesCleverly) January 11, 2023