Neshat

Neshat was launched by Hamid Reza Jalaipour in 1998[1] after two other reformist papers, Jameah and Toos, were closed down.[2][3] The paper was their successor.[4][5] The paper was based in Tehran.[6] Latif Safari was the publisher and director of the daily.[7][8] Mashallah Shamsolvaezin served as the editor-in-chief of the paper.[2] Most of the editors were those who had written for Jameah and Toos newspapers.[6]

The paper, a reformist and moderate publication, was banned on 4 September 1998 shortly after its start.[9] It was again banned by the Iran's Press Court in September 1999 following the publication of articles which had challenged the death sentence in Iran.[6][7] In addition, there were a total of 74 charges against the paper.[10] Due to these charges the paper was found guilty of "insulting the sanctity and tenets of Islam."[11]

In November 1999 Mashallah Shamsolvaezi was also arrested and taken to the Evin prison due to the articles mentioned above.[12] He was sentenced to three years in prison.[9] The publisher of the daily, Latif Safari, was also sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison in April 2000 for publishing the articles.[13][14] The ban was lifted by Iran's supreme court in March 2005.[8] However, it was again shut down later.[2]

In September 2013 it was reported that Neshat would be relaunched, and its license holder would be Morteza Fallah.[15] In addition, Mashallah Shamsolvaezi would resume his post as the editor-in-chief of the paper, and Ahmad Sattari would be its managing editor.[15] However, the necessary publication license was not granted by the authorities.[16]