Iranian-British citizen sentenced to death for spying on Iran

The UK known as Iran’s deliberate execution of former defence official Alireza Akbari ‘politically motivated’ and demanded his instant launch.

Iran’s Supreme Courtroom sentenced an Iranian-British citizen to demise on fees of spying for the UK.

Alireza Akbari was given the demise penalty for “corruption on Earth and for harming the nation’s inner and exterior safety by passing on intelligence”, Iran’s judicial information company Mizan On-line reported on Wednesday.

The previous defence ministry official was described by Iran’s intelligence ministry as “one of the vital vital infiltrators of the nation’s delicate and strategic centres”.

Citing a press release from the intelligence ministry, Mizan mentioned Akbari grew to become a “key spy” for the UK’s “Secret Intelligence Service” – MI6 – due to “the significance of his place”.

On February 2, 2019, the official authorities newspaper Iran printed an interview with Akbari, whom it recognized as a “former deputy defence minister within the reformist authorities” of Mohammad Khatami, who served as Iranian president from 1997 to 2005.

‘Barbaric regime’

The UK’s international minister, James Cleverly, known as the deliberate execution “politically motivated” and demanded Akbari’s instant launch.

“This can be a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has whole disregard for human life,” Cleverly wrote on Twitter.

Iran should halt the execution of British-Iranian nationwide Alireza Akbari and instantly launch him.

This can be a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has whole disregard for human life.

— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) January 11, 2023

 

“We're supporting the household of Mr Akbari and have repeatedly raised his case with the Iranian authorities,” a British international workplace spokesperson mentioned in a press release. “Our precedence is securing his instant launch and we now have reiterated our request for pressing consular entry.”

Iran has been rocked by protests triggered by the September 16 demise of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, after she was arrested for violating Iran’s costume code for ladies.

Eighteen individuals to this point have reportedly been sentenced to demise in reference to the protests. Of them, 4 had been executed, setting off a global outcry, following expedited trials that the UN Human Rights Workplace (OHCHR) mentioned didn't meet the minimal ensures of a good trial.

‘State-sanctioned killing’

Iran is “weaponising” the demise penalty, making an attempt to crush dissent by scary the general public with the execution of protesters, the UN mentioned on Tuesday.

“Felony proceedings and the demise penalty are being weaponised by the Iranian authorities to punish people collaborating in protests, and to strike concern into the inhabitants in order to stamp out dissent, in violation of worldwide human rights legislation,” OHCHR mentioned.

“The weaponisation of legal procedures to punish individuals for exercising their fundamental rights – equivalent to these collaborating in or organising demonstrations – quantities to state-sanctioned killing,” Volker Turk, the UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, mentioned in a press release.

OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani mentioned the UN was in opposition to the imposition of the demise penalty in all circumstances.

“Nevertheless, in these cases, what we now have seen is a scarcity of due course of; fees which might be utterly spurious and don’t make sense,” she instructed a information briefing.

“These are fees of corruption on Earth and waging struggle in opposition to God, that are very vaguely worded.”

She mentioned there have been additionally severe allegations of torture, mistreatment and humiliating remedy earlier than the executions.

“In such circumstances, these executions quantity to an arbitrary deprivation of life,” Shamdasani mentioned.