British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “appalled” by Iran’s decision to execute British-Iranian dual national, Alireza Akbari, PA Media reported on Saturday.
Iran had sentenced the former top politician to death earlier in the week over espionage charges.
The Iranian judiciary claimed Mr. Akbari, who was deputy defence minister under former president Mohammad Khatami until 2001, was a “key spy” for the British government, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
It said Iranian intelligence unmasked the alleged spy by feeding him false information and described him as “one of the most important infiltrators of the country’s sensitive and strategic centres”.
Mr. Akbari claimed he was tortured and given mind-altering drugs and forced to confess to crimes he did not commit.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had appealed for Mr. Akbari’s release when reports of his planned execution emerged.
Earlier this week, Mr. Cleverly tweeted: “Iran must halt the execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari and immediately release him.
“This is a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has total disregard for human life.”
Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chair Alicia Kearns had also condemned the planned execution, accusing the regime in Tehran of reacting because it felt “cornered” as a result of international sanctions and anti-government protests.
“It is another horrifying example of the Iranian regime, because they feel they are cornered, because there is such significant pressure from sanctions, weaponising British nationals and industrialising hostage-taking,” she told the BBC Radio 4 PM programme.
Reacting to the latest development on Twitter, British Prime Minister said Akbari’s execution “was a callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people”.
U.K. Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly also took to Twitter to condemn the act.
He said the “barbaric act” deserved “condemnation in the strongest terms.”
“This will not stand unchallenged,” Cleverly wrote.
