The Iranian government has been accused of confiscating the Nobel Peace Prize medal awarded to human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi. The government reportedly seized the medal from Ebadi’s safety deposit box in Tehran and froze her bank accounts three weeks ago, claiming she owed back taxes.

Geir Lundestad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute: “We’re shocked by the actions of the Iranian authorities. Shirin Ebadi has done nothing wrong, and we think that she is being punished in a very — in a totally illegal way. And not only is she being punished, but her husband, her friends and family members have also been punished. This is totally unacceptable.”