![Iran supreme court lifts ban on newspaper silenced in 1999](https://www.jurist.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jurist-white-text.png)
[JURIST] Iran's Supreme Court [Iranian Judiciary website] has lifted a ban that has kept reformist newspaper Neshat from publishing since 1999. The newspaper was shut down [RFE/RL report] after it criticized the country's penal system, which is based on Islamic Sharia law. Many of the newspaper's staff were arrested in the crackdown, including a two-and-a-half year jail term for publisher Latif Safari, eventually released early in 2001 [Guardian report]. Safari says he hopes to resume publication of the paper as soon as possible and has invited former journalists to return. Reporters Without Borders [advocacy website] has more on media issues in Iran. BBC News has more.