IRAN: Authorities confiscate lawyer Shirin Ebadi's Nobel Peace Prize

Less than a year after authorities stormed the offices of Iranian human-rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, taking  sensitive documents and her computer, unidentified authorities have now allegedly taken the Nobel Peace Prize medal and diploma from Ebadi's bank safety deposit box, said officials in Norway, which administers the prize.

Outraged officials in Oslo say the incident is unprecedented and has sent shock waves through the Norwegian foreign ministry.

“This is the first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities," Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement posted to his agency's website. "The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi’s bank box, together with other personal items. Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief.” 

Ebadi was awarded the prestigious prize in 2003 for her many years of legal work advocating on behalf of Iranian political activists, religious and ethnic minorities, women and children. She was the first Iranian to win the prize. 

But intimidation and harassment from Iranian authorities have become a part of everyday life for Ebadi. She has had her home vandalized, apparently by members of hard-line political groups close to the government, had her office raided and shut down by police, and has received scores of death threats.

But the latest incident was just too much for the Norwegians, who summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires in Oslo to a meeting Wednesday with Norwegian State Secretary Gry Larsen. Larsen voiced her strong opposition to the confiscation of Ebadi's prize. 

Foreign Minister Store added that Norway from now on will keep an extra close eye on events in Iran. 

"During the meeting with the Iranian chargé d’affaires," he said, "we made it clear that Norway will continue to engage in international efforts to protect human-rights defenders and will follow the situation in Iran closely." 

Ragnhild Imerslund, of the Norwegian foreign ministry, told The Times in a telephone interview that although  she had no detailed information regarding the circumstances surrounding the confiscation, she believed it took place "a week ago or so."

In its statement, the Norwegian foreign ministry also expressed concern over the treatment of Ebadi's husband by Iranian authorities. 

They say his pension is not being paid and that his bank account has been frozen. He also was detained in Tehran earlier this fall and subsequently beaten, they said. 

 -- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut 

Photo: Shirin Ebadi in front of her office in Tehran with colleagues. Credit: EPA

Comments

[Cap'n Obvious]

That country is nutz. Too bad we installed the Shah, ignored the cr@ppy job he was doing (building up anti-US sentiment in his own country) and then cut the support line to allow the nut cases to take over, thus bringing about violent fundamentalism in the mideast. Oops. But that's done, and we have to deal with it. We can ask them politely, once, to dismantle their nuke program, and when they don't it's time to bomb, bomb, bomb-bomb Iran. If they don't do a missile launch, KO everything of industrial significance, avoiding civilian areas. If they demonstrate an ICBM, then KO the population. Hit NK as a side job; they'll implode pretty quick.
OR we could drum up a mismanaged war in a formerly secular Arab state which was formerly busy hating its tyrannical leader so that they can now be busy hating the US. Gotta keep the stupidity going.

It was our own bottomless stupidity that let NK and Iran get this far, but now we gotta deal with it. When, rather than if we let NK/Iran (their missile and nuke programs are linked) "lose" nuke parts which later get re-assembled into a 1 megaton bomb driven down Pennsylvania Ave in a U-Haul it'll be the reward for willful stupidity.

[SP]

Iran has yet again shown the world that its nothing but a 3rd world toilet. It has no respect for basic human rights and operates like a Nazi regime which hides behind religious beliefs to mask its indecencies.

[Tom in San Jose]

Norway should declare the Iranian charge d'affaires Persona non grata and expel him from the country.

[John Ghislain]

From what I read in the Norwegian newspapers, the Iranian government are demanding $410,000.00 in taxes to be paid by
Mrs. Shirin Edabi.
A new low for the Iranian Govermnent.

[Michael]

A new low for the government of Iran - for shame! Anybody who believes that such a regime poses no threat to the world is sadly mistaken.

[MARK ROBISON]

The Iranian people have to step up. There country is being run by Nazi Islamists

[stewart]

The text of St. Matthew runs as follows:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 3)
Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. (Verse 4)
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Verse 5)
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Verse 7)
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)