Nobel Foundation Cancels Invitations to Ambassadors of Iran, Russia, and Belarus for Award Ceremony in Stockholm

On Saturday, September 2, the Nobel Foundation announced in a statement that it would not invite the ambassadors of Iran, Russia, and Belarus to this year's Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden. The foundation had previously stated on Thursday, August 31, that it would invite ambassadors from these three countries to the award ceremony in December, emphasizing the importance of inviting even those who do not adhere to the values of the Nobel Prize. However, following widespread criticism and threats from leaders of several Swedish parties regarding a boycott of the ceremony, the Nobel Foundation stated: "We recognize the strong reactions in Sweden. Therefore, we have decided to repeat last year's exception to our usual procedure; in other words, we will not invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus, and Iran to the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm." Last year, the Nobel Foundation did not invite the ambassadors of Russia and Belarus due to the Russian forces' invasion of Ukraine. The Islamic Republic has faced multiple rounds of sanctions from Western countries due to its violent crackdown on peaceful protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, as well as its military cooperation with Russia, including the supply of military drones in the war against Ukraine. Every year, Nobel Prize winners in various fields are announced in early October, and the award ceremonies are held in five categories: physics, chemistry, economics, physiology/medicine, and literature in Stockholm, with the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in Oslo, Norway. Shirin Ebadi at the Nobel Peace Conference: The people of Iran want to change the Islamic Republic peacefully. Efforts by the Nobel Peace Prize winner to expel the Islamic Republic from the UN Women’s Commission.