VZCZCXRO9863
RR RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDH RUEHFL RUEHKUK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLH
RUEHNP RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNY #0067/01 0401604
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 091604Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0021
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
IRAN COLLECTIVE
ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE

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." 
 
OSLO 00000067  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶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. 
WHITE