- A former Iranian official has been given the death penalty in Iran for spying.
- The Iranian intelligence agency verified Akbari’s status as an undercover agent for MI6.
- The Islamic Republic of Iran has long ranked among the world’s top executioners.
According to Iranian media on Wednesday, Alireza Akbari, a dual British-Iranian citizen, and former Iranian official, has been given the death penalty in Iran for spying for the United Kingdom.
Akbari formerly held the positions of head of the Strategic Research Institute, deputy defence minister for Iran, and member of the military group that carried out the UN resolution that ended the Iran-Iraq conflict.
Akbari “was arrested for spying on this country some time ago. Accordingly, the case was brought before the court, hearings were held with the accused’s attorney present, and based on the verifiable evidence in this person’s file, he was given a death sentence for spying for the UK.
The British government has called for Iran to halt the execution and release Akbari.
Akbari was arrested in 2019 and he served under Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who was in office from 1997 to 2005.
After considering the appeal by Akbari, the Iranian Supreme Court upheld the death penalty.
The Iranian intelligence agency verified Akbari’s status as an undercover agent for MI6, claiming he gathered “vital national information and gave it in a fully aware and informed manner.”
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary of the UK, demanded that the execution be stopped. “Iran must immediately release British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari and postpone his execution.
He said in a tweet that “this is a politically driven crime by a savage administration that has complete disdain for human life.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran has long ranked among the world’s top executioners.
According to a May 2022 report. the regime executed 314 people in 2021, a 20% increase from the year before. Numerous of those involved drug-related offenses.
An international uproar was generated last weekend when Iran killed two demonstrators accused of killing security agents. The executions, according to detractors, were the product of quick sham trials.
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