British-Iranian Akbari Executed by Iran on Espionage Charges

Iran has executed British-Iranian dual national Alireza Akbari, who was sentenced to death on charges of espionage for the UK, which he denied. 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. The ex-deputy Iranian defense minister was arrested in 2019.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the execution was a “callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime” and that Iran’s rulers had “no respect for the human rights of their own people.” UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also said the execution would “not stand unchallenged.”

The Iranian judiciary’s official news outlet Mizan reported on Saturday that Alireza Akbari had been hanged, without specifying the date when the execution took place. The news came after 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. The United States had also joined calls for Iran not to execute Mr Akbari.

The news of Akbari’s execution came after Iran posted a video of him earlier this week, which showed what appeared to be forced confessions. Additionally, 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, in an audio message that BBC Persian broadcasted on Wednesday, Akbari claimed that he had been tortured and forced to confess to crimes that he did not commit.

The United States also joined calls for Iran not to execute Akbari, with US diplomat Vedant Patel condemning the charges against him as “politically motivated”. The UK Foreign Office had been supporting Akbari’s family and had repeatedly raised his case with Iranian authorities, but Iran’s government does not recognize dual nationality for Iranians.

In his audio message, Akbari said that he was living abroad a few years ago when he was invited to visit Iran at the request of a top Iranian diplomat who was involved in nuclear talks with world powers. Once there, he was accused of obtaining top-secret intelligence from the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in exchange for a bottle of perfume and a shirt.