An Italian journalist has been arrested in Iran for more than a week. This was announced to the Italian media by the Foreign Ministry of Italy, according to which the Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was detained on December 19 by the police authorities of Tehran, while she was in Iran to carry out journalistic reports.
Italy's foreign ministry revealed that Rome's ambassador to Tehran, Paola Amadei, had visited her to check on conditions of detention, adding that she had been allowed to make two phone calls to her family.
"At the disposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, the Italian embassy and consulate in Tehran are following the case of the arrest of journalist Cecilia Sala with the greatest attention since its beginnings. In coordination with the prime minister, Farnesina worked with Iranian authorities to clarify Sala's legal situation and verify the conditions of her detention. The Italian Ambassador Paola Amadei conducted a consular visit today to verify the conditions and the state of detention of the journalist Sala. The family has been informed about the results of the visit".
Italy's Defense Minister Giudo Crosetto said her arrest was "unacceptable" in a social media post, adding that Italy was using "high-level political and diplomatic action" to secure her release.
Cecilia Sala works for Il Foglio newspaper and podcast company Chora Media, which announced in a separate statement that Ms. Sala was being held in solitary confinement at Evin prison in Tehran and that no reason had been given for her detention.
According to Chora Media, Ms. Sala left Rome for Iran on December 12 with a valid journalist's visa and had conducted several interviews, producing three episodes of her "Stories" podcast.
She was due to return to Rome on December 20, but her phone "switched off" after she exchanged several messages on December 19.
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