An Iranian writer who went to Norway to attend a conference on freedom of expression has sought political asylum there.

The writer, Mohammad Ali Kushan, had been invited by the Norwegian Forum for the Freedom of Speech.

He was reported as saying that he would not return to Iran at the moment because of the recent murders of intellectuals and writers who were critical of the government.

The Iranian Intelligence Ministry announced this week that it has arrested some of its own agents, whome it blames for a spate of killings of liberal intellectuals and politicians in the recent months.