Norway protested strongly after reports that Iranian authorities have confiscated the medal awarded to 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said. This is the first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said, expressing shock and disbelief over the confiscation of the medal and the diploma. Iran’s charge d’affaires was summoned to the foreign ministry over the matter, the foreign ministry in Oslo said. Norway protested a year ago against the closure of Ebadi’s human rights center. Ebadi was awarded the peace prize for her efforts for democracy and human rights, especially the rights of women and children, in Iran and the Muslim world in general. The peace prize is one of the awards endowed by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. Tehran denied having confiscated the medal. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that there has been no confiscation and linked the issue to non-payment of taxes by Ebadi. We really wonder about this stance by Norwegian officials without thorough study of the case, the spokesman said. Mehmanparast called on Norway to respect global tax laws but did not make clear what exactly was confiscated from Ebadi due to non-payment of her taxes. Ebadi has not returned to Iran since the unrest following the disputed 12 June presidential election and is likely to be arrested if she does because of her outspoken opposition to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Islamic establishment. Ebadi was awarded the peace prize for her efforts for democracy and human rights, especially the rights of women and children, in Iran and the Muslim world in general.