The Execution of Alireza Akbari The Secretary of State for Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Affairs (James Cleverly) With
permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the execution of
a British national in Iran. On Saturday morning, Iran’s regime
announced that it had executed Alireza Akbari, a British-Iranian
dual national. I know that the thoughts of the whole House will be
with his wife and two daughters at the time of their loss. They
have shared...Request free trial
The Execution of
Alireza Akbari
The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Affairs ()
With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the
execution of a British national in Iran.
On Saturday morning, Iran’s regime announced that it had executed
Alireza Akbari, a British-Iranian dual national. I know that the
thoughts of the whole House will be with his wife and two
daughters at the time of their loss. They have shared his
ordeal—an ordeal that began just over three years ago when he was
lured back to Iran. He was detained and then subjected to the
notorious and arbitrary legal process of the regime. Before his
death, Mr Akbari described what was done to him and how torture
had been used. Let there be no doubt: he fell victim to the
political vendettas of a vicious regime. His execution was the
cowardly and shameful act of a leadership that thinks nothing of
using the death penalty as a political tool to silence dissent
and settle internal scores.
In February last year, Mr Akbari’s family asked the Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office for our support, and we have
worked closely with them ever since. I want to pay tribute to
them for their courage and fortitude throughout this terrible
period. In line with their wishes, the Minister of State, my
noble Friend Lord Ahmad, lobbied Iran’s most senior diplomat in
the UK as soon as we learned that Mr Akbari’s execution was
imminent. We maintained the pressure right up until the point of
his execution, but, sadly, to no avail.
When we heard the tragic news on Saturday morning, we acted
immediately to demonstrate our revulsion. I ordered the summoning
of Iran’s chargé d’affaires to the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office to make clear our strength of feeling. Our
ambassador in Tehran delivered the same message to a senior
Foreign Ministry official. Ten other countries have publicly
condemned the execution, including France, Germany and the United
States, and the European Union has done the same. I am grateful
for their support at this time.
We then imposed sanctions on Iran’s Prosecutor General, Mohammad
Jafar Montazeri, who bears heavy responsibility for the use of
the death penalty for political ends. His designation is the
latest of more than 40 sanctions imposed by the UK on the Iranian
regime since October, including on six individuals linked to the
revolutionary courts, which have passed egregious sentences
against protesters, including the death penalty. In addition, I
have temporarily recalled from Tehran His Majesty’s ambassador,
Simon Shercliff, for consultations, and we met and discussed this
earlier today. Now we shall consider what further steps we take
alongside our allies to counter the escalating threat from Iran.
We do not limit ourselves to the steps that I have already
announced.
Mr Akbari’s execution follows decades of pitiless repression by a
ruthless regime. Britain stands with the brave and dignified
people of Iran as they demand their rights and freedoms. Just how
much courage that takes is shown by the appalling fact that more
than 500 people have been killed and 18,000 arrested during the
recent wave of protests. Instead of listening to the calls for
change from within Iran, the regime has resorted to its usual
tactic of blaming outsiders and lashing out against its supposed
enemies, including by detaining a growing number of foreign
nationals for political gain. Today, many European nationals are
being held in Iranian prisons on spurious charges, including
British dual nationals, and I pay tribute to our staff—both in
Tehran and here in the UK—who continue to work tirelessly on
their behalf.
Beyond its borders, the regime has supplied Russia with hundreds
of armed drones used to kill civilians in Ukraine. Across the
middle east, Iran continues to inflict bloodshed and destruction
by supporting extremist militias. And all the while, the steady
expansion of the Iranian nuclear programme is threatening
international peace and security and the entire system of global
non-proliferation. In the last three months alone, Britain has
imposed five separate packages of sanctions on Iran, and today we
enforce designations against more than 300 Iranian individuals
and entities. We have condemned the regime in every possible
international forum, securing Iran’s removal from the United
Nations Commission on the Status of Women and, alongside our
partners, creating a new UN mechanism to investigate the regime’s
human rights violations during the recent protests.
The House should be in no doubt that we are witnessing the
vengeful actions of a weakened and isolated regime obsessed with
suppressing its own people, debilitated by its fear of losing
power, and wrecking its international reputation. Our message to
that regime is clear: the world is watching you and you will be
held to account, particularly by the brave Iranian people, so
many of whom you are oppressing and killing. I commend this
statement to the House.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
3.45pm
(Enfield, Southgate)
(Lab)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his statement.
I am responding on behalf of the Opposition as my right hon.
Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy) is on a visit to
Northern Ireland and so is unable to be here.
The execution of Alireza Akbari is the most horrendous human
rights abuse—a barbaric act of politically motivated murder at
the hands of the Iranian regime. The whole House’s condolences
and solidarity are with his family at this time of unimaginable
grief.
That the Iranian regime chose to take Mr Akbari’s life to make a
political point to the British Government is a disgrace. The
death penalty should never be used for any crime, but we must
call these executions in Iran what they are: a gross attempt to
silence a protest movement by striking fear into the hearts of
ordinary Iranian people. In Mr Akbari’s case, his execution is a
direct message to the British Government. Such executions are, in
the words of Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, state-sanctioned killings.
Mr Akbari returned to Iran after a successful career in business
in the UK to advise the Government on the nuclear deal between
the west and Iran. He wanted to see a successful deal to end the
western sanctions on the country.
We have discussed many times in this House the importance of a
strong response to this brutal regime. The Government must now
proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, either through
the existing process or by amending the National Security Bill to
create a new process of proscription for hostile state actors.
The playbook of the regime is to use brutality and violence for
its own political ends and its own survival. In his most recent
threat update, MI5 director Ken McCallum referred to 10 kidnap
and death plots by the Iranian regime on British soil. When an
organisation threatens the lives of British journalists and
British Iranian activists in the UK, that organisation is a
terrorist organisation.
When will the Foreign Secretary proscribe this heinous
organisation, and what action will he take to protect the lives
of British Iranians in the UK and in Iran? I heard what he said
about the condemnation internationally, but what further
conversations has he had with international partners to ensure a
co-ordinated response to condemn and curtail the regime’s
appalling attack on the lives and human rights of its own
people?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments on the solidarity
that the whole House sends to the family of Mr Akbari. He will
know that the future proscription or sanctions designation of
individuals or entities is not something that we speculate about
or discuss at the Dispatch Box. However, he should know that we
share the revulsion that he expressed.
As I said, we do not limit ourselves to the actions that we have
already announced. I have spoken with His Majesty’s ambassador to
Tehran and I will of course be speaking with other parts of
Government about what further action we can take in response to
the vile behaviour of the regime. I can assure the hon. Gentleman
that we speak regularly with our international friends on our
collective response to Iran, both in the region and beyond, and
we will continue to do so.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
(Rutland and Melton)
(Con)
Thank you, Mr Speaker. The thoughts of the entire Committee are
with Mr Akbari’s family.
From hostage taking to terrorist plots, assassinations, nuclear
extortion and destabilisation of the middle east and Europe, Iran
is a terrorist state and it has weaponised human life. This is
the first murder of a dual national since the 1980s. It is a
clear escalation.
I make four asks. First, the House is clear that we need to
proscribe the IRGC. Can the Foreign Secretary confirm that he
recognises that that is a policy decision, not a legal one?
Secondly, we need to close down the IRGC’s operating centres
within the UK, such as the one in Maida Vale. These are centres
for spreading hostile influence within the UK. Can the Secretary
of State also confirm that he will consider reactive sanctions to
help the ordinary Iranians for whom no one else will stand up?
After every state murder, we should impose sanctions to show we
will give their voice some support. Finally, can he reassure me
that he is confident of the safety of our staff in Tehran? I
remember the stories of my colleagues who were under siege by the
Iranian state in the past, and I am gravely concerned about their
safety at this time.
My hon. Friend the Chair of the Select Committee raises
incredibly important points. She knows the long-standing
convention about speculating about sanctions and proscriptions,
but I absolutely take the points that she has made about ensuring
that the response we take here in the UK and, indeed, in
conjunction with our international partners sends an incredibly
clear message to the regime that these actions are unacceptable
and will be responded to each and every time they take place.
With regard to the actions that we take domestically here in the
UK, I can assure her that we work closely with our Home Office
colleagues on our collective response, and I agree with her that
the safety of our team in Tehran is incredibly important. I pay
tribute to them for the work that they do in incredibly
challenging circumstances, and I also pay tribute to the
demonstrations of international solidarity that we regularly
receive from other platforms in Tehran.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson.
(Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch
and Strathspey) (SNP)
May I also thank the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of his
statement? The SNP utterly condemns the execution of Alireza
Akbari in the strongest possible terms, and we extend our
heartfelt condolences to his family. Once again, this execution
highlights the serious injustice and failings of the Iranian
judicial system. The Foreign Secretary’s decision to sanction
Iran’s prosecutor is welcome, but as we have been calling for
many times, I urge the Foreign Secretary again to go further and
to take forward the formal proscription of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. I ask him
again: will he commit to that?
We remain deeply concerned about the safety of other arbitrarily
detained UK-Iranian nationals. Morad Tahbaz has been held for
five years. Mehran Raoof has been held since 2020. Their families
just want to see them come home safely. What are the Government
doing to make that a reality? Does the Secretary of State know
just how many dual UK-Iranian nationals are detained in Iran, and
can he tell us that number?
The Foreign Office cannot make the same mistakes it has made in
the past with other dual nationals, such as Nazanin
Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Anoosheh Ashoori and other UK-Iranian
nationals detained and, as we have heard, sometimes tortured.
This shameful execution should serve as an urgent wake-up call.
These people and their families deserve better. What lessons have
this Government learned, and what are they going to do
differently in future to support these people?
I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we work tirelessly to
support the release of British dual nationals held in detention
in Iran. Our consular team supports their families. The work that
we, our ambassador and his team do in Tehran is incredibly
important. Their presence is to ensure that British dual
nationals, whether they have been in incarceration or not, are
supported, and we will continue to work with our international
friends and allies to secure the release of those individuals. In
regard to proscription, he raises an important point. He will
have heard the answers I have given to other colleagues—we do not
limit ourselves to the responses we have already announced.
(Hendon) (Con)
It is a terrible day when we see the execution of a British
subject. Some broadcast media have said that the decision by the
Iranian regime to execute this individual came as a response to
the repeated calls for proscription of the IRGC in a debate last
week. Contrary to that, broadcast media not only showed an
interview with his family, but also broadcast his comments about
his torture by this vile regime. Does that show the Secretary of
State, as it does me, the power of the media broadcast, but will
he also ensure that the funding of BBC Persian radio will
continue to ensure that the people of Iran can hear the truth and
one day oversee the downfall of this vile regime?
My hon. Friend raises an incredibly important point about our
ability to project our values into Iran. The fact that millions
of Iranians are protesting against their own Government shows
that many people in Iran share our values and are deeply opposed
to the regime that oppresses them. I have spoken to BBC senior
leadership about the funding of our foreign language BBC World
Service broadcasts, including the Persian broadcast. I assure him
that whether through the BBC World Service or the work of our
embassy by the ambassador and his team, we will continue to
project our values into Iran and hopefully reinforce, and indeed
show solidarity with, those brave Iranians protesting against
their own regime.
(Hammersmith) (Lab)
Mr Akbari was my constituent and I offer my sympathies to his
family here and abroad. I have represented their interests for
the past year and I have had extensive contact with them over the
past few difficult days. Their strength and courage have been
extraordinary in the face of the brutality and cruelty of the
Iranian regime.
Earlier today, I spoke to Mr Akbari’s daughter in the UK and she
asked me to raise a further distressing matter with the Foreign
Secretary. The regime refuses to release Mr Akbari’s body or to
allow burial in the place chosen by him, and has made threats to
destroy his body unless the family co-operate with its
instructions. The cemetery where the family were told he should
be buried informed them that burial had already taken place last
week, which casts doubt on the time of his execution. Will the
Foreign Secretary meet me and the family in the UK and do what
the Government can to ensure that in death, if not in life, Mr
Akbari is treated with dignity and respect?
The points that the hon. Gentleman just raised fill us all, I am
sure, with revulsion; we will continue to support the family in
whatever way we can. He is absolutely right to call on the regime
to treat Mr Akbari in death with the deference and respect that
is legitimate. I will follow up on his points with our ambassador
and communicate our incredible discomfort with those points, and
as I say, we will continue to support the family in whatever way
we can.
(Crawley) (Con)
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke eloquently about
the brutal hostility that the regime in Tehran is visiting on not
only on its own citizens, but Ukraine through its support for
Russia, on neighbouring countries in the middle east, and, of
course, on a UK passport holder through his execution. Does that
not now mean that we should proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps and review the UK’s involvement in the Iran nuclear
agreement?
My hon. Friend raises incredibly important points. We will
continue to work with our friends and allies to ensure that Iran
never acquires a nuclear weapon. With regard to our further
action, we do not limit ourselves to the announcements that we
have just made. Part of the reason why I have temporarily
recalled His Majesty’s ambassador to Tehran is so that we can
discuss cross-Government what our further response might be.
Sir (Rhondda) (Lab)
Mr Akbari’s judicial murder is particularly poignant for us
because he was a dual national, but all the murders that have
been committed by the Iranian Government over the last few days
and weeks prove that they give a new meaning to the term
“criminal justice system”—more criminal than justice. I worry,
however, that the Secretary of State is always reluctant to talk
about further sanctions. Government Ministers invented the rule
that they are not allowed to talk about them at the Dispatch Box
because it is a bit inconvenient for them, but is it not time
that we had a proper parliamentary process for determining some
sanctions? Frankly, if it was up to the Foreign Affairs
Committee, or I suspect the House, we would have taken action six
months ago and we would not still be hanging around.
The hon. Gentleman speaks with great passion on this. I know that
he takes a personal interest in the use of sanctions, and we have
discussed this in my appearances before the Select Committee, but
I think it is important that we maintain a clear distinction
between the Executive functions and the scrutiny functions.
Although I understand that there is a huge amount of embedded
experience in the House, I think that the job of the Government
is to govern and the job of this House is to scrutinise the
Government, which is why that division of labour is
important.
(Chelmsford) (Con)
The execution of Alireza Akbari was a hideous act. It is clear
that the Iranian regime will stop at nothing in its desire to
repress its people, whether that is through the arrest, torture
or, indeed, murder of innocent citizens, many of whom are women.
Many colleagues across the House have called for the IRGC to be
proscribed, and I would like to add my name to that list. I would
also urge the Foreign Secretary to continue working with our
allies to try to get a global consensus on the issue.
My right hon. Friend highlights something that we should all
consider, which is that the actions of the Iranian regime are a
display of weakness, not strength. The regime lives in fear of
the voices of the Iranian people, which is why it is responding
so brutally. My advice to the regime—it will not take it, I have
no doubt—is to listen to its own people, and to stop blaming
external actors for actions stimulated by its oppression of its
people. I can assure my right hon. Friend that we will continue
to work closely with our international friends and allies, so
many of whom have expressed solidarity over the weekend in
response to Mr Akbari’s execution.
(Oxford West and Abingdon)
(LD)
The execution of Alireza Akbari is horrendous. If we ever wanted
proof that we are dealing with barbarians, it is this and what
has happened over the last few months. While the Foreign
Secretary is considering proscription and the harshest possible
sanctions—I would like to add the voices of the Liberal Democrats
to that and offer our support—I urge him to consider another
move. We have learned from the war in Ukraine that going after
individuals and the spoils of their human rights abuses is also a
very effective way of sanctioning. What consideration have the
Government given to auditing the assets of those we have
sanctioned, particularly the assets of family members who may be
resident in the UK, and can he assure the House that not a single
penny of their spoils is sloshing around the British economy?
We will of course always examine ways of ensuring that our
sanctions are most effective and have the deterrent effect as
well as the punitive effect that they are designed to have. I can
assure the hon. Lady that, as I have said, we will continue
working internationally with our friends and allies who share our
revulsion at the actions of the Iranian regime. She describes the
regime as barbarian, and one of the great ironies is that Iran
has a long history—a multi-millennial history—of sophistication
and thoughtfulness. That history and reputation is being
destroyed on a daily basis by the people currently holding the
levers of power in Tehran, and I think that is a massive shame
for the Iranian people more broadly.
(Harrow East) (Con)
I would like to thank my right hon. Friend for his statement, and
to express my sympathy to Mr Akbari’s family, who are going
through such a terrible time. We should remember that Iran
carries out the second highest number of executions anywhere in
the world—second only to China—so this is not something isolated,
but something the regime implements. I recommend that my right
hon. Friend reads the Hansard report of the debate we had last
Thursday, when more than 30 Members from across the House
contributed excellent examples of what is happening in Iran. He
can negotiate with our allies to impose sanctions against Iran
totally, which will isolate the regime, and he can also talk to
the Home Secretary about proscribing the IRGC, which is the
settled view of this House. He has the support of the House on
all sides and from all parties, which is surely enough to
proscribe the IRGC in its entirety and to sequestrate its assets
once and for all.
My hon. Friend is right to pay tribute to the strong and clear
stance that the House has taken in response to the brutality
meted out by the Iranian regime. I assure him and the House that
we will continue to work cross-Department, and internationally,
on the most effective ways of curtailing Iran’s malign activity,
both within Iran, in the region and globally.
(Liverpool, Riverside)
(Lab)
I send my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr
Akbari. The use of the death penalty is appalling under all
circumstances, as are the practices of torture and prolonged
solitary confinement, all of which Mr Akbari was subjected to
while being held by the Iranian authorities. Amnesty has called
for the UK Government to work with international bodies to fully
investigate Mr Akbari’s allegations of torture and all other ill
treatment, and to pursue the criminal investigation of officials
reasonably suspected of involvement in crimes under international
law. Will the Foreign Secretary today agree to take up those
calls for justice?
I assure the hon. Lady that we will not rest until this regime is
held to account for the brutality and atrocities that it has
meted out to its own people, and we will do so in close
co-operation with our friends in the international community.
(Romsey and Southampton
North) (Con)
Southampton has a significant Anglo-Iranian community, many of
whom have made the point to me that this is a regime that can
maintain its position only through terror and torture. But they
are scared. They are scared for their family members, for women,
for dual nationals and for students. They want the proscription
of the IRGC, and they want me to leave my right hon. Friend in no
doubt that Anglo-Iranians in this country wish to see our
Government do more.
I assure my right hon. Friend that we will continue working
cross-Department and across Whitehall to ensure that those
Iranians who have chosen to make the UK their home, and
Anglo-Iranians who live in the UK, feel safe. The first duty of
Government is to protect the people within these shores, and I
assure her that we take that responsibility incredibly
seriously.
(Leeds Central) (Lab)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for what he has said about the
brutal murder of Mr Akbari. The sad truth, however, is that the
Iranian regime does such things because it can. There are voices
that have called for the joint comprehensive plan of action
process to be abandoned, and I would be grateful if the right
hon. Gentleman could tell the House what his current view is. I
caution him, however, because in absence of that process, what
other means would we have of preventing Iran from acquiring a
nuclear weapon, which, given its current behaviour, is surely
unthinkable?
The right hon. Gentleman makes an incredibly important point. We
hear calls from Tehran for us to lift sanctions, and we remind
them that the sanctions are imposed because of their behaviour,
be that human rights violations, brutality against their own
people, support for militias in the region, or attempts to
acquire a nuclear weapon. We will continue to work closely with
our international partners in preventing Iran from acquiring a
nuclear weapon. Negotiations on the JCPOA have not progressed,
and the ball is very much in the court of the Iranians. I say
strongly to them that the world will continue to work in concert
and solidarity to prevent them from acquiring a nuclear weapon,
and if they wish sanctions to be lifted, the regime has to
fundamentally change its behaviour.
Sir (Maldon) (Con)
My hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Dr Offord) was right to
draw attention to the power of the media in exposing what is
going on in Iran, but my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary
will be aware of the continuing threats against journalists
working for Iran International, whose headquarters in Chiswick is
under permanent armed police guard. Will he make it clear to the
Iranian regime that threats of that kind on British soil are
utterly unacceptable? Will he consider extending the sanctions
against anyone in the Iranian regime responsible for making
threats against journalists?
My right hon. Friend echoes the point that the Iranian regime is
fearful of criticism, and particularly fearful of criticism from
within Iran itself and from Iranians internationally. That is why
it behaves so petulantly and aggressively towards journalists. We
have an incredibly important responsibility to protect those
journalists and support those dissenting voices. I assure him on
behalf of my colleagues in the Home Office and the security
services that we will continue to support the free expression of
those brave Iranian voices criticising a regime that currently
has a stranglehold around their country.
(Cardiff North) (Lab)
My heart goes out to the family and friends of Mr Akbari. The
Iranian regime is using the death penalty as a tool of political
repression against courageous protesters. As we have heard, the
IRGC also threaten the lives of journalists and British-Iranian
activists here in the UK. Last week we saw cross-party support
for proscribing the IRGC. I ask again—this time for the Secretary
of State to answer—will the UK Government take action and
urgently brand the IRGC as a terrorist organisation?
The hon. Lady is right to raise the need to respond to the
actions taken by the Iranian regime. As I said, I announced an
initial set of responses immediately after the execution of Mr
Akbari. I am consulting with His Majesty’s ambassador in Tehran—I
have done so today—and we will work across Government to ensure
that our response to Iran is robust and deters further such
actions.
(Southend West) (Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his excellent statement. Will he
confirm that he will discuss the execution of Mr Akbari on his
visit to Washington this week and assure us that with our allies
he will seek to co-ordinate the strongest response to this latest
state-sponsored torture and killing, as well as Iran’s escalating
human rights abuses against women and the wider security
threat?
I assure my hon. Friend that I will address our response to the
Iranian regime in general and the response to this execution in
particular with both my American and Canadian counterparts when I
visit those two countries later this week. I assure her, and
indeed the House, that the messages of solidarity that we have
received from our international partners reflect the strength of
feeling that I hear in my conversations about the issue.
(Westminster North) (Lab)
The vile Iranian regime are operating through proxies in this
country. My hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Kilburn
() and I have been working
closely with the police in respect of the Islamic community
centre in Maida Vale, where the weekly counter-protests that now
occur there are causing very real concern in that residential
community. Will the Secretary of State tell us what
investigations he is carrying out into the operation of those
centres and how they can be managed to protect local communities,
including the very diverse Muslim communities in that area?
The hon. Lady will understand that actions here in the UK are the
responsibility of the Home Office, but I assure her that my
Department and that Department work closely on such issues and
will continue to do so.
(Brent North) (Lab)
These are the words of Hassan Firouzi:
“Whether or not I sign confession papers, they will kill me. My
only wish is to see my daughter one last time. After 10 years,
God finally gave us a child. I only got to see her for 18 days
before being arrested for protesting. I miss my daughter so much.
My only wish is that I get to see my daughter one last time
before they kill me.”
He is another citizen who has been condemned to death. I have
adopted his case at the urging of a close Iranian friend in my
constituency. Does the Foreign Secretary believe that it is
helpful for Members of Parliament to adopt individual people on
death row in Iran to publicise their cases and put maximum
pressure on the regime?
I am genuinely grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising that
particular case. I know the Iranian regime hates it when its
actions are called out on the international stage. I have made it
clear to the Iranians that if they want the criticism to stop,
their behaviour must change. Their behaviour at the moment
deserves criticism in this Chamber and internationally. I commend
all colleagues, where they have the opportunity to do so, to
raise cases and demonstrate to the brave Iranians who are
standing up against the brutality of their own Government that we
show solidarity with them.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
I add my condolences to the family of Mr Akbari at this very sad
time. I cannot see why the Secretary of State is delaying
proscribing the regime in Iran and call on him to do so
immediately. In my human rights city of York, we have serious
concern about the use of the death penalty. There are over 20,000
people on death row across over 55 jurisdictions right now. Will
he lead a discussion in the UN to bring the use of
state-authorised death to an end across the world? When it is
condoned in one country, it gives Iran more liberty to apply it
in its own.
The hon. Lady will, I am sure, know that the UK opposes the death
penalty in all respects. We have communicated that
internationally and we have communicated that to the Iranian
regime. Our position is long standing, it is principled and it
will not change. We will highlight our opposition to the death
penalty whenever we have the opportunity to do so.
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his statement. I know that Lord
Ahmad will have done everything in his power to stop this
despicable act. I condemn the execution of Mr Akbari, a
British-Iranian dual national, and I want to place on record my
condolences to his wife and two daughters. Does the Foreign
Secretary have concerns that ending the talks on the nuclear deal
in the face of ongoing turmoil in the country could see Iran
speed up its uranium enrichment programme or pull out of the
treaty altogether?
The international community, the signatories to the JCPOA, have
given the opportunity to the Iranian regime to make changes. It
has thus far failed to grasp the opportunity presented to it. We
will continue working to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear
weapon, but the ball, ultimately, is in its court. If it wants
sanctions lifted, it has to change—fundamentally change—its
behaviour.
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