An Iranian-British man convicted of spying for Britain has been sentenced to death by an Iranian court, the court said on Wednesday, angering London, which has called for the sentence not to be carried out.
“Alireza Akbari has been sentenced to death for corruption on earth and for undermining the country’s internal and external security by transmitting intelligence,” reported Mizan Online.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly reacted strongly on Twitter. “Iran must stop the execution of British and Iranian citizen Alireza Akbari and release him immediately.” “This is a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has complete disregard for human life,” he said.
A former deputy minister?
Mizan Online did not provide details on the dates of the arrest and conviction, which was confirmed by the Supreme Court. The agency also does not specify the functions performed by the convicted person.
But she says, citing an Intelligence Ministry statement, that Alireza Akbari had become a “key spy” for Britain’s “Secret Intelligence Service” (SIS) because of “the importance of his position.” She contributed “important information from the country” to this service, according to the same source.
On February 2, 2019, the daily Irana government newspaper, had published an interview with Alireza Akbari as “former deputy defense minister in the reformist government” of Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005).
Beginning In December, four Iranians were executed after being sentenced to death for “cooperation” with Israel, the sworn enemy of the Islamic Republic.
Source: BFM TV
