Iran denounced the "biased and political" action by the Nobel committee Friday for awarding jailed Iranian rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi the Peace Prize.
Mohammadi, a 51-year-old journalist and activist, has spent much of the past two decades in prison on multiple charges including spreading propaganda against the state and committing actions against national security.
U.S. President Joe Biden called Friday for Iran to free Mohammadi, hailing her "unshakable courage" after she won the Nobel Peace Prize.
"This award is a recognition that... the world still hears the clarion voice of Narges Mohammadi calling for freedom and equality," Biden said in a statement. "I urge the government in Iran to immediately release her and her fellow gender equality advocates from captivity."
Iran has not replied to Biden's call, but an Iranian government spokesperson rebuffed the prestigious prize, saying it was awarded to a convicted felon.
"We note that the Nobel Peace Committee awarded the Peace Prize to a person who was convicted of repeated violations of laws and criminal acts," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani said in a statement. "We condemn this biased and political move."
Kanani also lambasted the Nobel Committee for making "false claims," which he said were "indicative of the approach of some European governments to falsify information and produce confusing and deviant narratives about internal developments in Iran."
He said the decision to award Mohammadi the prize was a "disappointing deviation from its initial objectives."
SEE ALSO: Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Iran’s Jailed Rights Activist Narges MohammadiDuring Friday's announcement, Nobel Committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen hailed Mohammadi for her "brave struggle" and called for her release.
Mohammadi, who has most recently been incarcerated since November 2021, had expressed support for the protest movement that rocked Iran after the Sept. 16, 2022, death in police custody of Mahsa Amini.
Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, had been arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women.
Her death triggered monthslong demonstrations that the authorities in Iran labeled as "riots" fomented by foreign governments.