Iran Nobel laureate refuses court summons

• Tweet

TEHRAN, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi said Saturday she will not obey a summons by the Iranian Revolutionary Court.

Ebadi, who received the summons Thursday, said she will not appear in court, even though she might be arrested for the act, Arab satellite network al-Jazeera reported on its website.

"The manner in which the summons has been arranged is illegal. I won't go to the court," Ebadi said. "A summons has to specify the reason. That a summons is issued for somebody without specifying the reason and subject is illegal."

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, one of three lawyers representing Ebadi, said Ebadi was summoned to testify as a witness, and has not been accused of a crime.

The U.S. State Department said it was closely watching the situation.

Ebadi was Iran's first female judge and the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace prize, which she was awarded in 2003.