September 21, 1999
His Excellency Said Ayatollah Mahmud Shahrudi
Head of the Judiciary
c/o Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 3rd Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, is writing to protest the conviction handed down yesterday against Latin Safari, director of the banned daily newspaper Neshat.
On September 20, Iran’s Press Court convicted Safari on a number of charges that included “insulting the sanctity and tenets of Islam,” according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). The main charge appears to stem from Neshat’s publication of an opinion piece that challenged the use of capital punishment in Islam. The article is believed to have triggered the September 5, 1999 closure of the newspaper by order of the Press Court.
To our knowledge, the court has yet to announce Safari’s sentence. However, he faces the possibility of imprisonment and a heavy fine. Press reports have also suggested that Neshat could face permanent closure.
CPJ views the conviction of Latin Safari and the closure of Neshat as flagrant violations of the universally recognized right to free expression as guaranteed under international law. Both incidents occur against the backdrop of the Iranian judiciary’s ongoing assault against outspoken newspapers. In the last five months alone, at least three newspapers have been ordered closed while of journalists have been prosecuted in retaliation for the publication of news and opinion. All these actions violate Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which grants journalists the right to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
We respectfully urge Your Excellency to exert your influence to cease the judicial harassment of journalists in response to their professional work. We specifically call on you examine all possible legal options to ensure that the ruling against Latin Safari be rescinded and that Neshat be permitted to publish without interference from judicial authorities.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to your comments.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
Join CPJ in Protesting Attacks on the Press in Iran
Send a letter to:
His Excellency Said Ayatollah Mahmud Shahrudi
Head of the Judiciary
c/o Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 3rd Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10017