Iran ‘illegally’ freezes Ebadi’s assets: colleague

AFP: Iran has "illegally" frozen bank accounts belonging to Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, in a bid to step up pressure on the rights advocate and critic of the Islamic regime, a colleague told AFP on Friday. TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran has "illegally" frozen bank accounts belonging to Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, in a bid to step up pressure on the rights advocate and critic of the Islamic regime, a colleague told AFP on Friday.

Iranian authorities have also confiscated the Nobel medal and diploma that Ebadi kept in a bank box, drawing condemnation from Norway which awarded the peace prize to the Iranian campaigner in 2003.

"Her prize money was deposited in a bank account and it was used to help prisoners of conscience and their families," a founding member of Ebadi's human rights group, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said.

"The account has been blocked by the officials and they do not allow withdrawals," the lawyer said.

"This is illegal as blocking and confiscation should be the decision of a court where evidence is presented for such an act," he said. "It is politicized."

Ebadi left Iran shortly before the June 12 presidential election, which saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad returned to office amid allegations of widespread fraud.

Since then Ebadi has been urging the international community to act against Iran authorities' human rights "abuses" in the aftermath of the election.

Thousands were initially arrested as mass protests broke out in Iran against Ahmadinejad's re-election and dozens were killed in clashes with security forces.