Jan. 11 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Supreme Court of Iran has sentenced Alireza Akbari, who also has a British passport, to death after being accused of espionage and working for MI6, the United Kingdom’s intelligence service.
Considered by Tehran as one of the “most important agents” of MI6 and a true “master of espionage”, Akbari was deputy defense minister during the tenure of former Iranian President Mohammad Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005).
Iranian authorities have accused Akbari of knowingly providing important information on the country to British intelligence. The Supreme Court ruling is final and occurs at a time when the person sentenced to death was waiting to receive a UK visa to leave the country.
Akbari is “one of the most important infiltrators of the evil British spy service,” writes the Iranian news agency Mizan, adding that he had access to highly sensitive information and that he knowingly and repeatedly provided it to “the services of the enemy”.
After learning of the sentence, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has urged Iran not only to stop Akbari’s execution, but also to release him, stressing his British citizenship.
“This is a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime that has complete disregard for human life,” Cleverly denounced on his Twitter account.
Akbari joins a long list of Iranian citizens with dual nationality who have been accused and sentenced to death for alleged espionage crimes for foreign intelligence agencies, the CIA or the Mossad.
