Iran’s Asian Games Defectors Arrive in Norway
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Four Iranian weightlifters who defected during the Asian Games in South Korea arrived in Oslo Saturday, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry announced.
“We have been informed that they want political asylum in Norway,” said Per Paust, the ministry’s official spokesman.
Paust said South Korean authorities, via the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, asked in advance whether Norway was willing to receive the four Iranians.
The Iranians took refuge in the Iraqi mission in Seoul Oct. 2. South Korea has diplomatic relations with both Iran and Iraq, who are at war, and authorities tried to keep the defections quiet.
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