Iran consul in Oslo quits over Tehran crackdown
DUBAI (Al Arabiya, Saud al-Zahed)
The Iranian consul general in the Norwegian capital Oslo has resigned in protest against Tehran's violent repression of opposition demonstrators, public television NRK said Wednesday."It was the Iranian authorities' treatment of demonstrators around Christmas which made me realize that my conscience would not allow me to continue in my job," Mohammed Reza Heydari said in comments published on NRK's website.According to NRK, Heydari had been posted in Oslo for three years.
The Iranian consul general in the Norwegian capital Oslo has resigned in protest against Tehran's violent repression of opposition demonstrators, public television NRK said Wednesday."It was the Iranian authorities' treatment of demonstrators around Christmas which made me realize that my conscience would not allow me to continue in my job," Mohammed Reza Heydari said in comments published on NRK's website.According to NRK, Heydari had been posted in Oslo for three years.
The Iranian embassy denied the report, insisting that the consul's term had simply come to an end about a month ago."His mission has been over for a month and his successor has arrived two weeks ago. We reject the news," an embassy spokesman told AFP.However Heydari is according to the consulate still in Oslo "on holiday.”"Sometimes they stay longer in the country where they served as diplomats for various reasons, including waiting for the end of school semesters of their children," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Reuters.
The former Iranian consul in Dubai, Adadel Asadi, who himself received asylum in Sweden told Al Arabiya.net that the Iranian foreign ministry is currently facing widespread employee dissatisfaction.According to Asadi this is mainly due to many members of the intelligence service or the elite Revolutionary guards being appointed to diplomatic positions despite not having the required experience, causing an atmosphere of resentment in the ministry.Asadi also said that when Iranian diplomats live abroad, many of them develop a different perspective on both life and politics. According to the former diplomat, some begin to compare the political system in their host countries to the regime in the Islamic Republic.In 2001 Asadi, who served as MP for the south western city of Ahwaz four terms in a row, was forced to seek political asylum in Sweden after revealing highly sensitive information regarding the finances of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, the Revolutionary Guards as well as the country’s intelligence service.In the bloodiest unrest since the aftermath of a disputed June presidential poll, eight people were killed on Dec. 27 and over 40 reformist figures, including four advisers to opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi, have been arrested since then.The opposition says the vote was rigged to secure President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. The authorities deny the accusations, which they say were part of a Western-orchestrated plot to overthrow the Islamic system.On Tuesday Iran's interior minister warned opposition activists they risk execution if they continue anti-government demonstrations.
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