Tehran, Jan 14 (EFE).- Iran has executed British-Iranian citizen and former deputy protection minister Alireza Akbari who had been convicted of spying for British intelligence, native media reported Saturday.
Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister, stated he was “appalled by the execution,” which he described as “callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime.”
The semi-official Mehr information company reported that Akbari was executed on Saturday, 4 days after the Iranian intelligence ministry introduced he would face the loss of life penalty.
The ministry claimed Akbari had been a “key spy” for the UK’s MI6 international intelligence company.
America on Friday joined the UK in calling for the execution to be halted.
Vedant Patel, state division spokesman, stated: “We echo the British authorities’s sturdy name for Iran to not proceed with this execution and to launch Mr. Akbari instantly. The fees in opposition to Ali-Reza Akbari and his sentencing to execution have been politically motivated. His execution can be unconscionable.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused of utilizing prisoners with twin nationality as bargaining chips to stress the worldwide neighborhood, a tactic dubbed by human rights organizations as hostage diplomacy.
Akbari served as Iran’s deputy protection minister from 2000-2008 below the mandate of reformist president Mohamed Katami.
His execution comes amid widespread protests in Iran sparked in September final yr following the loss of life in police custody of Kurdish lady Mahsa Amini, who was allegedly arrested for failing to put on the compulsory Islamic veil.
Tehran has accused the US, Israel, the UK, France and Germany of stoking the protests, through which almost 500 folks have been killed in a police clampdown, in response to NGOs.
Not less than 4 folks have been executed for his or her alleged function within the demonstrations and 17 others face the loss of life penalty.
Iran, which carries out executions by hanging, has one of many highest use of loss of life sentences on this planet. In 2021, an estimated 246 folks have been executed by the Islamic Republic. EFE
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