The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri after the execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, UK’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced in a press release on January 14.
The sanctions impose an asset freeze and United Kingdom travel ban on Mohammad Jafar Montazeri. James Cleverly in the press release said that imposing sanctions against Mohammad Jafar Montazeri shows Britain’s disgust at Alireza Akbari’s execution. “The Prosecutor General is at the heart of Iran’s barbaric use of the death penalty for political ends. Sanctioning him today underlines our disgust at Alireza Akbari’s execution and our commitment to holding the regime to account for its appalling human rights violations,” James Cleverly said in the press release.
The UK government in the press release called the execution of Alireza Akbari a “politically motivated act.” The UK government noted that the Iranian regime has carried out the execution of four people in relation to ongoing protests while Mohammad Jafar Montazeri has been the Prosecutor General.
Earlier, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak condemned the execution of Alireza Akbari and termed it a “callous and cowardly act.” He tweeted, “I am appalled by the execution of British-Iranian citizen Alireza Akbari in Iran. This was a callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people. My thoughts are with Alireza’s friends and family.”
James Cleverly also denounced the execution of Mohammad Jafar Montazeri. In a tweet, Cleverly stated, “The UK has sanctioned Iran’s Prosecutor General. Sanctioning him today underlines our disgust at Alireza Akbari’s execution. The Prosecutor General is at the heart of Iran’s use of the death penalty. We’re holding the regime to account for its appalling human rights violations.”
Iran executed a British-Iranian citizen, Alireza Akbari, over accusations of corruption and espionage, CNN reported citing the Iranian judiciary-affiliated outlet Mizan on Saturday. As per the news report, Akbari was charged with working as a spy for MI6, the British intelligence agency.
Alireza Akbari was reportedly given over USD 2 million in various currencies. Citing Iranian media, CNN report said that Akbari allegedly shared information regarding 178 Iranian figures, including the country’s chief nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh with foreign officials.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
