Safari, director of the banned daily Neshat, which was closed by court order in September, 1999, was imprisoned after an appellate court upheld a 30-month jail sentence that the court had imposed on September 20, 1999. Safari was convicted on several charges, including defamation, inciting unrest, and “insulting the sanctity and tenets of Islam.” These charges stemmed from articles published in Neshat during Safari’s tenure as director, including an opinion piece that challenged the use of capital punishment in Iran.
He is serving his sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison.