New Delhi: Iran has executed a British-Iranian national who once served as its deputy defense minister, its judiciary said, calling for his release after being sentenced to death for spying for Britain. and defied calls from Washington. Britain, which declared the case against Alireza Akbari to be politically motivated, condemned the execution, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling it “a despicable and cowardly act by a barbaric regime”.
Akbari, 61, was arrested in 2019.
I am shocked by the execution of British-Iranian citizen Alireza Akbari in Iran.
It was a cruel and cowardly act, perpetrated by a barbaric regime that had no respect for the human rights of its own people. My thoughts are with Alireza’s friends and family. — Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) January 14, 2023
The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported the execution without specifying when it took place.
Late Friday, British Foreign Secretary James Clever urged Iran not to comply with the sentence.
Also condemned by the United States and France, the execution is set to further worsen Iran’s long-strained relations with the West, which have deteriorated since negotiations to renegotiate their 2015 nuclear deal. and a deadly crackdown on protesters by Tehran last year.
In an audio recording purportedly from Akbari and broadcast by BBC Farsi on Wednesday, he said he confessed to crimes he did not commit after extensive torture.
Mizan said, “Alireza Akbari, who was sentenced to death on charges of corruption on earth and espionage for the intelligence service of the British government, carried out extensive actions against the internal and external security of the country.”
The Mizan report accused Akbari of receiving payments of 1,805,000 euros ($1.95 million), 265,000 pounds ($323,989.00) and $50,000 for espionage.
Cleverly made a statement that the execution “will not stand unchallenged”. He later announced that Britain had summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires, imposed sanctions on Iran’s prosecutor general, and temporarily withdrew its ambassador from Tehran for further consultations.
This is a rare case of a serving or former senior official of the Islamic Republic being executed. One of the last occasions was in 1984, when Iranian Navy Commander Bahram Afzali was executed on charges of spying for the Soviet Union.
British statements on the matter have not addressed the Iranian allegation that Akbari had spied for Britain.
State news agency IRNA reported that Iran’s foreign ministry had admonished the British ambassador for what he called “London’s meddling in Iran’s national security sphere”.
Iranian state media, which portrays Akbari as a super spy, aired a video on Thursday that they said showed he played a role in the 2020 assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed in an attack outside Tehran that was blamed by the authorities. Time on Israel.
In the video, Akbari did not confess to involvement in the assassination, but said that a British agent had asked for information about Fakhrizadeh.
Iran’s state media often broadcasts alleged statements by suspects in politically charged cases.
Reuters could not establish the authenticity of the state media video and audio, or when and where they were recorded.
Nephew says Alireza Akbari’s execution came ‘as a shock’
Akbari was a close associate of Ali Shamkhani, now secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who was Minister of Defense from 1997 to 2005. Akbari fought as a member of the Revolutionary Guards during the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s.
Ramin Foghani, a nephew of Akbari, told Reuters the execution had come as a shock.
He said, “I don’t think that a person who has spent his whole life from an early age serving the country since the Iran–Iraq War would spy for any country.” Revolutionary Guard.
Speaking by phone from Luxembourg, he said Akbari’s wife, who lives in London, had tried but failed to persuade Iranian authorities to spare his life. Reuters was unable to reach him.
Disgusting and barbaric act: US, France on Iran’s execution of Alireza Akbari
The US State Department described the execution as politically motivated and unjust. The US ambassador in London called it “appalling and sickening”.
French President Emmanuel Macron called it a “disgusting and barbaric act”.
Iran’s relations with the West have also been strained by Russia’s support in Ukraine, where Western states say Moscow has used Iranian drones.
Along with other Western states, Britain, which has a long history of fractious relations with Iran, has been strongly critical of Tehran over anti-government protests sparked by the death in September of a young Iranian-Kurdish woman in custody.
Iran has issued dozens of death sentences as part of the crackdown, with at least four people being executed.
A UK minister said on Thursday that Britain was actively considering designating the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, but had not reached a final decision.
In a recording broadcast by BBC Persian, Akbari said that he had made the false confession because of torture.
“With more than 3,500 hours of torture, psychedelic drugs, and methods of physical and psychological coercion, they took away my will. They drove me to the brink of insanity…and falsely held me at arms and death threats. compelled to give a statement. ,” They said.
Amnesty International said the execution again demonstrated Tehran’s “vicious attack on the right to life”. In Akbari’s case, “it is particularly appalling that the violations he exposed were committed in prison”.
Iranian officials have not responded to allegations that Akbari was tortured.
An Iranian state TV report – the details of which Reuters could not independently verify – said he was arrested on espionage charges in 2008, before being released on bail and leaving Iran.
In an interview with the BBC Persian broadcast on Friday, Akbari’s brother Mehdi said he had returned to Iran in 2019 at Shamkhani’s invitation.