– This hits me close, says Mahmoud Farahmand (H) to news. news told on Saturday about Xander Radpey, who after many years as a detective in the Oslo police district lost his security clearance. Now he can no longer practice his profession. The justification he has received from the Civil Clearance Authority (SKM) is the risk of pressure from his country of birth, Iran. Read more about the case and the rationale here. – It is very strange that people who have served Norway and looked after our security for many years are suddenly judged to be unworthy of our trust because they were born in Iran, or somewhere else in the world, says Farahmand. Believes country of birth decides As a former intelligence officer, he has worked with intelligence operations in Afghanistan, among other things. Farahmand himself was born in Iran, and today he is a parliamentary representative for the Conservative Party. – As a former soldier and officer who has been through several clearance processes, I will probably not be cleared today, he says. Mahmoud Farahmand (H) is a former intelligence officer. Photo: NTB – And I see a clear development in the direction of one’s own or one’s parents’ place of birth being decisive for whether one gets clearance or not. Iran is one of the countries which, according to the Norwegian Police’s security service, uses its intelligence services to map, monitor and influence its own citizens living in Norway. Do you have any tips? news depends on good tips. You can contact us on encrypted channels.Signal: +47 45264614Protonmail: [email protected] – Looks like everyone is being pulled over the same comb news has been in contact with close to ten police employees with Iranian connections who have recently lost their clearance . In their refusals, several of them have been given similar reasons as Xander. Everyone who is to be cleared has the right to a concrete and individual assessment. Farahmand fears that is not the case. – What is stated as the main reason in several of the decisions is that the person to be cleared was born in or has connections to Iran. It looks like a process is being run where everyone is pulled over the same comb, and that is not how the Security Act is intended to work, he says. The same typo In the letter to the ex-spy Radpey, the following is stated: The same is stated verbatim in another rejection that news has gained access to. The person who received this was born in Norway, and experienced losing his clearance after almost two decades in intelligence and defence. The justification he was given was his long-time wife’s country of birth and connection to Iran. – This confirms what I have believed. That the treatment is template-based, he says to news. With the security clearance, the job as a police detective also disappeared. Today, Xander has an office job in the police. Photo: Rune Hansen / news For the sake of his job, he does not want to appear openly in news’s article. He describes losing his clearance as a shock, after a working life with access to classified information. The following was stated in the letter he received from the Civil Clearance Authority this year: The same was stated in the letter Xander received in the mail. Verbatim and with the same typo: “Klareringsforksriften”. – The fact that the same typo is in both rejections is a clear sign that someone has cut and pasted here, he says. – Very problematic The findings also make Farahmand react. – It is unfortunate, disturbing and very problematic. He himself has experienced being contacted by people who have lost their clearance in recent years. He has read through several rejection letters. Mahmoud Farahmand (H) says he himself would probably not get security clearance today because of his Iranian origins. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB – The similarity and typographical errors that you show reinforce the impression that a collective assessment of different people is taken completely independently of the individual’s efforts, credibility, reliability and vulnerability in view of pressure from foreign powers, he says. Gives a different impression Since 2018, people in the civilian sector have been security cleared by the Civil Clearance Authority (SKM). Each year they handle several thousand cases. Director Gudmund Gjølstad tells news that they prepare internal justifications with discussions and assessments in each case. He emphasizes that the vast majority of people with connections to other countries get their application for clearance approved. – Circumstances such as country of birth and citizenship will never alone lead to a refusal of security clearance. But the law requires us to consider, among other things, connections to other states, says Gjølstad. – We must also assess conditions that may lead to the person himself, or his close relatives, being exposed to threats to life, health, freedom or honour. – Typographical errors may occur. Everyone who experiences not having their security clearance passed on will receive a notification, i.e. a letter, from SKM. It is in these that news has found verbatim formulations and typographical errors by various people. – They contain the amount of information that we have the opportunity to give away. Unfortunately, this contributes to the fact that many may get the impression that the proceedings are simpler and more superficial than they really are, he says. Director Gudmund Gjølstad of the Civil Clearance Authority says those who are refused security clearance do not necessarily get to know the full reason. Photo: Rune Hansen / news – In our written work, both typographical errors and the reuse of sentences may occur, especially in cases that may have similar features and especially when referring to laws and regulations. Those who are refused do not necessarily get to know the full reason, he says. This is for the sake of SKM’s sources, privacy and security. Gjølstad is confident that their assessments are both thorough and correct. – I justify this by the fact that, both through good internal control and feedback from the appeals body, we see that our cases and decisions are approved and upheld. Challenging the government Storting politician Andreas Sjalg Unneland (SV) has also become involved in Xander’s case. – We cannot continue to say how incredibly important representation is with lots of great speeches and action plans, and then people like Xander are thrown out of their position like lightning from the sky. Now he is calling for follow-up from the government. – This is not a unique story. This is one of many stories, and we cannot say we are satisfied with a system that treats people in that way and a police force that in 5-10-20 years will not represent the population. Andreas Sjalg Unneland (SV) is among those who have become involved in Xander’s case. Photo: Rune Hansen / news He says it is important that the government comes to the fore on how the security authorities should balance the considerations between representation and security. – It is important that political leadership in the ministry critically reviews the practice, and that we ask the question: What kind of society should we be in the long run? Do you have any tips? We depend on good tips. You can contact us via encrypted channels. Signal: +47 45264614. Protonmail: [email protected]
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Ex-spanner gets support at the Storting – news Dokumentar
