Iran arrests Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, Italy says

An Italian journalist has been detained in Iran for more than a week, according to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Cecilia Sala works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media.

The Foreign Ministry said it was following Sala’s case with “the utmost attention” since she was detained by Tehran police on December 19.

There was no immediate confirmation of the arrest from Iranian officials.

Chora Media said in a separate statement that Sala was being held in solitary confinement at Evin Prison in Tehran and that no reason had been given for her arrest.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry revealed that Rome’s ambassador to Tehran, Paola Amadei, had visited her to check the conditions under which she was detained, adding that she had been allowed to make two phone calls to her family.

He also said that Italy “has been working with the Iranian authorities to clarify the legal situation of Cecilia Sala.”

According to Chora Media, Ms. Sala left Rome for Iran on December 12 with a valid journalist visa and had conducted several interviews and produced three episodes of her “Stories” podcast.

He added that he was due to fly back to Rome on December 20, but his phone went “silent” after exchanging some messages on December 19.

Sala’s other employer, Il Foglio, has called for his release, stating that “journalism is not a crime.”

“Cecilia was in Iran, on a regular visa, to report on a country she knows and loves, a country where information is stifled by repression,” the newspaper said in a statement on its website.

Last week, Iran summoned the Swiss ambassador in Tehran and a senior Italian diplomat over the arrest of two Iranian citizens, Reuters reported, citing Iranian media.

Iran was rocked by protests in 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September of that year. Tens of thousands of people were arrested in connection with the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests.

Mahsa had been arrested for allegedly violating Iranian laws requiring women to wear the hijab and died in police custody.