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Iranian diplomat in Europe defects

By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Diplomat was based in Belgium
  • He supports the Greens, lawyer says
RELATED TOPICS
  • Iran
  • Belgium

(CNN) -- An Iranian diplomat based in Belgium has defected and is requesting political asylum in Norway, his lawyer told CNN on Tuesday.

News agencies identify him as Farzad Farhangion.

He had been a diplomat at the Iranian Embassy in Brussels but defected Tuesday and asked for asylum, said attorney Arild Humlen.

Farhangion is defecting because he supports the Green Movement, the lawyer said.