Helsinki: Iranian diplomat quits, applies for asylum

Helsinki: Iranian diplomat quits, applies for asylum

Earlier this year, the Iranian consul in Oslo resigned and requested asylum in Norway. Now his Finnish counterpart decided to follow in his footsteps, via YLE:

Hossein Alizadeh, an Iranian diplomat in Helsinki who resigned from his post last week, wants to remain in Finland. Speaking at a press conference on Monday he said that he will apply for political asylum in Finland.

Before leaving his post, Alizadeh was the second-highest ranking official at the Iranian Embassy. On Saturday he announced that he had resigned in protest against the anti-democratic policies.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said that Alizadeh’s term at the embassy had concluded already in August, and said that he wanted to stay in Finland because his children are in school here.

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