Iranian authorities have confiscated Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi's medal, the Norwegian government said on Thursday, accusing Iran of a shocking first in the history of the prize.
Norwegian authorities were told that Ebadi's medal had been seized "within the last week or so" from a safe-deposit box in Iran along with personal effects including the diploma awarded with the medal, the Foreign Ministry said. Spokeswoman Ragnhild Imerslund would not name the source of the information but called the person reliable. She added that Norwegian authorities have been "in touch" with Ebadi since the incident.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere called the move "shocking" and said it was "the first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities."
Imerslund said the Foreign Ministry summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Norway on Wednesday to protest the confiscation. The Foreign Ministry also "expressed grave concern" about Ebadi's husband, who it said was arrested in Tehran and "severely beaten" earlier this fall, after which his pension and bank account were frozen. |