Ex-deputy Iranian defense minister British-Iranian Alireza Akbari was executed by the brutal Iranian regime for allegedly “spying” for the British.
Akbari was arrested and convicted of the charges in 2019, charges he vigorously denied.
Earlier in the week, Iran posted video of Akbari confessing to the crimes, but many suggest the statement was forced and Akbari likely suffered torture before the confession.
The ex-deputy Iranian defence minister was arrested in 2019 and convicted of spying for the UK, which he denied.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his execution was a “callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime”.
France summoned Iran’s top diplomat in Paris, warning that Tehran’s repeated violations of international law could not go unanswered.
Meanwhile, the UK has imposed sanctions on Iran’s Prosecutor General, saying it would hold the regime to account “for its appalling human rights violations”.
“Sanctioning him today underlines our disgust at Alireza Akbari’s execution,” UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.
Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran over what it called Britain’s “unconventional interventions”.
The Iranian judiciary’s official news outlet Mizan reported on Saturday that Mr Akbari, 61, had been hanged. It did not specify the date when the execution took place.
Iran posted a video of Mr Akbari earlier this week showing what appeared to be forced confessions, and after the country’s intelligence ministry had described the British-Iranian as “one of the most important agents of the British intelligence service in Iran”.
However, BBC Persian broadcast an audio message on Wednesday from Mr Akbari in which he said he had been tortured and forced to confess on camera to crimes he did not commit.
Mr Akbari’s family had been asked to go to his prison for a “final visit” on Wednesday and his wife said he had been moved to solitary confinement.
I am appalled by the execution of British-Iranian citizen Alireza Akbari in Iran.
This was a callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people. My thoughts are with Alireza’s friends and family.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) January 14, 2023
