The head of European Union (EU) diplomacy, Josep Borrell, condemned this Sunday the “terrible precedent” created by the execution in Iran of the British-Iranian citizen Alireza Akbari, declaring his opposition to the death penalty “in any circumstances “.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy offered his condolences to Akbari’s family and his “full solidarity with the UK”.
“The execution of a European citizen is a terrible precedent that the EU will follow closely,” he warned, before considering that “the death penalty violates the inalienable right to life enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is the last cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment”.
The Iranian judicial authorities announced on Wednesday the death sentence of former deputy minister Alireza Akbari -although it is unknown when he was sentenced- for “espionage for MI6” in exchange for “1,805,000 euros, 265,000 pounds and 50,000 US dollars”, according to the semi -Official Iranian Mehr Agency.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused of using prisoners of dual nationality in particular, but also from other countries, as a measure of pressure or for the exchange of prisoners with other countries.
These acts have been labeled by other countries and human rights organizations as Iran’s “hostage diplomacy.”
According to the agency of the Iranian judiciary, designated as Mizan, Alireza Akbari, who held the post of Deputy Defense Minister during the term of former reformist president Mohamed Katami (1997/2005), was executed by hanging.
The 61-year-old convict, arrested three years ago, appealed the sentence before the Federal Supreme Court, which rejected the appeal.
Iranian authorities released a heavily redacted video of Akbari discussing the allegations, similar to other videos that dissidents have described as forced confessions.
On Friday, both Britain and the United States criticized Akbari’s death sentence.
In his Twitter account, the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, considered that it was “a cruel and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime that does not respect the human rights of its own people.”
Reacting to these statements, Iran summoned the UK ambassador to Tehran, expressing its discontent and criticizing London’s support for “a spy”.
France also condemned “with the greatest firmness” the death of the Iranian-British, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, warning that “the repeated violations of international law by Iran cannot go unanswered, especially when it comes to foreign citizens , citizens that the country arbitrarily supports”.
Amnesty International had also previously condemned Iran’s “heinous attack” on the “right to life”, stating, on Twitter, that “the execution of Alireza Akbari by the Iranian authorities is another abhorrent attack on the right to life”.
The humanitarian organization also called on the British government to “fully investigate” the allegations that Akbari was tortured.
On Saturday, Britain announced it had adopted sanctions against Iran’s attorney general to show London’s “displeasure” over the execution.
“We demand accountability from the regime [iraniano] for their egregious human rights abuses,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, without specifying what action was taken.
Source: TSF
