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The Iranian government has seized the Nobel Peace Prize given human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, Norwegian officials said Thursday.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the confiscation is a first in the history of the Peace Prize, CNN reported. He did not say how Norway learned of the Iranian action.
"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," Store said in a written statement.
Ebadi was awarded the peace prize in 2003 for legal efforts to improve human rights in Iran. The peace prize is determined by a committee named by the Norwegian Parliament.
State Secretary Gry Larsen told Iranian diplomats in Oslo Norway is also concerned about the treatment of Ebadi's husband, officials said. He was arrested and beaten a few weeks ago, his bank account has been frozen and his pension payments have been halted, Larsen said.
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