Foreign Office Dealing With State-Level Hostages Needs to Beware of ‘Playground Bully,’ UK MPs Told

Foreign Office Dealing With State-Level Hostages Needs to Beware of ‘Playground Bully,’ UK MPs Told
Alireza Akbari, Iran's former deputy defence minister, speaks during an interview with Khabaronline in Tehran, Iran, in this undated picture obtained on Jan. 12, 2023. Khabaronline/WANA/Handout via Reuters
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An experienced hostage negotiator has told a committee of MPs “state-level hostage situations” such as the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe often revolve around the importance of the Foreign Office recognising they are dealing with a “playground bully.”
Last month Iran executed Alireza Akbari, a former deputy defence minister in Iran who was also a British national, despite an appeal by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Akbari was convicted of spying for MI6, an allegation which he and his family had insisted was false.
Chris Summers
Chris Summers
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Chris Summers is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories, with a particular interest in crime, policing and the law.
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