SHOCKING ATROCITIES INSIDE A BASIJ ENCAMPMENT: NORWEGIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 000067

SIPDIS
AMEMBASSY ANKARA PASS TO AMCONSUL ADANA
AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO AMCONSUL ALMATY
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/09
TAGS: PHUM PREL IR NO
SUBJECT: SHOCKING ATROCITIES INSIDE A BASIJ ENCAMPMENT: NORWEGIAN
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT

REF: 10 STATE 12108

DERIVED FROM: DSCG 05-1 (B),(D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: A kidnapped Norwegian student witnessed shocking
atrocities and mass killings occurring inside a Basij camp (see
paragraphs 3 and 4),according to Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA) officials speaking confidentially. The GON has,
separately, called the Iranian Charge d'Affaires to the carpet to
object to Iran's execution of the first prisoners in the mass
trials currently ongoing. End Summary.




2. (C) Deputy Chief of Mission James T. Heg and Poloff visited MFA
officials Jorn Gjelstad and Torunn Viste, Director and Deputy
Director, respectively, of the MFA Middle East Section, to deliver
reftel demarche (after a longer discussion of Foreign Minister
Stoere's recent trip to the region, reported septel). Near the end
of the discussion, Gjelstad said that he wanted to confidentially
share an eyewitness account of events inside a Basij camp that had
recently come to his attention.




3. (C) Gjelstad said that the account was provided by a Norwegian
graduate student who was doing research in Iran during the
Christmas-New Year's period. The MFA and other Norwegian agencies
believe his account is credible. He is ethnically Norwegian and
has no known political motivation to fabricate a story. According
to the student, he was riding on a Tehran public bus-not
participating in any kind of suspicious or demonstration
activity-when a member of the Basij militia entered, saw he was a
foreigner, and pulled him off. He was placed on the back of a
motorcycle, and a sack was put over his head. He was driven to a
Basij encampment and was forced to watch killings and torture. He
says he witnessed a group of dissidents put in front of a cement
wall, and a riot control truck fitted with a "cowcatcher" (metal
bars and screens designed to move crowds) was driven into them,
crushing them to death. He says he witnessed people being
disemboweled with knives in front of him. He says that a public
bus was driven onto the compound, full of protesters, and the bus
was doused in gasoline and set ablaze, burning everyone inside to
death.




4. (C) The student speaks fluent Persian, and says he overheard two
of the milita having an argument with one another about their
methods. One argued that it was improper to damage public
property-that is, the public bus-when killing protestors. The
other argued that this was justified when defending the
revolutionary ideal. Gjelstad said that the Norwegian student
appeared to have been allowed/forced to see these things precisely
in order to publicize "what could be the outcome if foreigners
continue to circulate within Iran" (Gjelstad's words). The student
was understandably traumatized and proceeded directly to the
Norwegian Embassy upon being released. He then returned to Norway,
and spoke with the MFA. He asked the MFA to raise the issue with
the Iranian embassy in Oslo, but did not want his name mentioned.
The Norwegians raised the issues with the Iranian Charge
d'Affaires, who requested the student's name, which of course was
not disclosed. Emboffs were shocked at Gjelstad's description of
the student's account. Gjelstad referred to the incident as
evidence of "institutionalized perversion" in Iran.




5. (C) Gjelstad said that, in the same meeting with the Iranian
Charge d'Affaires referred to in paragraph 4, MFA officials
protested the execution of the first two "mass trial" defendants,
one of whom was convicted of planning the unrest despite having
been in jail during the entire period. Gjelstad characterized the
current events in Iran as "the beginning of a long and bloody
process of dealing with political opponents."

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6. (C) The Iranian Charge responded to the demarche with surprise
and indignation. Gjelstad said the discussion was "terse" and the
Charge said, "I refuse to accept this demarche." Gjelstad said,
however, that the GON has indications that the demarche was in fact
reported in Tehran.
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