PARIS, Jan 14 (Reuters) – The execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari is a heinous and barbaric act, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.
Macron said he stood in solidarity with Britain which has condemned the execution, which defied British and U.S. calls for the 61-year-old Akbari’s release after he was handed a death sentence on charges of spying for Britain.
In an audio recording purportedly from Akbari and broadcast by BBC Persian on Wednesday, he said he had confessed to crimes he had not committed after extensive torture.
(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel)
