Iran executes former Deputy Defense Minister Alireza Akbari, a dual British and Iranian national, for "spying for Britain"

• Middle East The new 'Great Satan' of Iran

Iran has executed this Saturday the British-Iranian citizen and former Deputy Defense Minister

convicted of spying for British intelligence services, amid multiple requests to stop the hanging.

"Alireza Akbari, a former Iranian officer, was executed this Saturday for

" according to the semi-official Mehr media outlet.

Iranian judicial authorities reported the former deputy minister's death sentence on Wednesday, although it is unknown when he was sentenced for "spying for MI6" in exchange for "1,805,000 euros, 265,000 pounds and 50,000 US dollars."

Her execution has gone ahead despite calls for her arrest.

"Iran must not continue with the brutal threat of execution," British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said yesterday.

"We are closely following the case of Alireza Akbari," he added.

For its part, the United States

of the former deputy defense minister.

"The United States echoes the firm call of the British government for Iran

and to immediately release Mr. Akbari," Vedant Patel, deputy spokesman for the State Department, defended at a press conference.

Iran has been accused of using prisoners with dual nationality or nationality of other countries as a measure of pressure or to exchange prisoners with other countries.

This has been dubbed Iran's

by other countries and human rights organizations.

Akbari held the post of deputy defense minister during the tenure of former reformist president

(1997-2005) and was arrested three years ago.

The Intelligence Ministry has described Akbari "as one of the most important cases of infiltration" of the security of the Persian country.

The announcement of her death sentence came amid protests rocking Iran following the death in police custody of

after she was arrested for not wearing the Islamic headscarf properly.

Tehran has accused the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, France and Germany of being behind the protests, in which nearly 500 people have died in police repression.

At least four people have been executed for their participation in the demonstrations and 17 have been sentenced to hang.

Iran is one of the leading countries in number of executions, with 246 of them in 2021.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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