AFP
NOS News••Amended
Iran has executed British-Iranian former politician Alireza Akbari. The Press Office of the Iranian Judicial Authority, Librawrites in a news report that Akbari was hanged for, among other things, espionage for the British secret service MI6.
British Prime Minister Sunak condemns Akbari’s execution. He wrote on Twitter that he was “appalled” by the “ruthless and cowardly act carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for human rights”.
British Foreign Secretary Cleverly appealed to Iran yesterday a statement not to follow through on Akbari’s “brutal threat of execution”. “The Iranian regime should have no doubts: we are closely following the case of Alireza Akbari,” Cleverly warned in vain.
The UK says Akbari’s conviction was politically motivated. Wednesday shared BBC Persian an audio recording of Akbari, saying he was tortured and forced to confess. He talks about 3500 hours of torture during ten months. On the same day it became clear that Iran was making preparations for Akbari’s execution.
A BBC Persian journalist shared the audio message on Twitter:
On Thursday, the Iranian authorities shared a video that, according to the regime, shows that Akbari played a role in the assassination of a top Iranian scientist in 2020. In the heavily edited video, Akbari makes no confession, but he does say that a British secret agent has asked him for information. asked about the scientist.
It is not clear exactly when Iran executed Akbari.
As a politician in Iran, Akbari held a senior position in the Ministry of Defense between 2000 and 2008. He also played an important role in bringing about the ceasefire between Iran and Iraq in 1988, after an eight-year war. After his time as a politician, he moved to the United Kingdom. He has not been seen in public since 2019. It is suspected that he was arrested during a visit to Iran.
The AP news agency writes that Akbari’s execution may be related to a power struggle within the Iranian security forces.
Iran has recently executed several prisoners around the ongoing protests in the country. That’s how it was a week ago two men hanged for their alleged role in the death of a paramilitary volunteer during a demonstration.
