A leading international human rights group says it is "deeply concerned" for the safety of Iranian Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, who has refused an order to appear before Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Court.
Human Rights Watch called the court summons a "blatant attempt" by Iran's government to "silence one of the few remaining voices of human rights" in the Islamic Republic.
In Tehran Sunday, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said the human rights lawyer was the subject of a private complaint. However, Ms. Ebadi, in comments to Reuters news agency, cast doubt on the use of the Revolutionary Court for such complaints, noting that the tribunal handles national security matters.
Saturday, Ms. Ebadi said she would not honor the court summons, because it failed to state the charges against her. Failure to appear could land her in prison.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
