Iran executes dual British-Iranian citizen Alireza Akbari - CNN

CNN  — 

Alireza Akbari, a dual British-Iranian national and erstwhile Iranian official, has been executed, the Iranian judiciary-affiliated outlet Mizan reported connected Saturday.

He was hanged for crimes including “corruption connected earth,” according to tweets from Mizan, which did not specify erstwhile the execution took place.

Two tweets by the outlet Saturday accused Akbari of “extensive practice with British quality officers” for which helium received “huge sums of money.”

Akbari’s decease condemnation was announced conscionable days ago, connected January 11, aft helium was convicted of spying for the United Kingdom. Akbari had denied the charges.

According to allegations published successful Mizan connected Wednesday, Akbari had been arrested “some clip ago” for “spying against this country.”

“On this ground and aft filing an indictment against the accused, the record was referred to tribunal and hearings were held successful the beingness of the accused’s lawyer and based connected the valid documents successful this person’s file, helium was sentenced to decease for spying for the UK,” Mizan said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denounced the move.

“I americium appalled by the execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari successful Iran,” Sunak wrote connected Twitter.

“This was a callous and cowardly act, carried retired by a barbaric authorities with nary respect for the quality rights of their ain people. My thoughts are with Alireza’s friends and family.”

Echoing Sunak’s statements, the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley called the execution a “barbaric act” that “deserves condemnation successful the strongest imaginable terms.”

“This volition not basal unchallenged. My thoughts are with Alireza Akbari’s family,” helium wrote connected Twitter.

Cleverley said his bureau would summon the Iranian Charge d’Affaires implicit the execution.

“This volition not basal unchallenged and we volition beryllium summoning the Iranian Charge d’Affaires to marque wide our disgust astatine Iran’s actions. Our thoughts are with Mr. Akbari’s family,” Cleverley said successful a statement.

“The execution of British-Iranian Alireza Akbari is simply a barbaric enactment that deserves condemnation successful the strongest imaginable terms. Through this politically motivated act, the Iranian authorities has erstwhile again shown its callous disregard for quality life.”

The UK authorities had urged Iran not to execute Akbari. The Foreign Office said it would proceed to enactment his family.

Akbari antecedently served arsenic Iran’s lawman defence curate and was the caput of the Strategic Research Institute, arsenic good arsenic a subordinate of the subject enactment that implemented the United Nations solution that ended the Iran-Iraq war, according to Iranian pro-reform outlet Shargh Daily.

The BBC reported Akbari was arrested successful 2019 and that helium served nether Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who was successful bureau from 1997 to 2005.