Italian journalist arrested in Iran

Tehran police have arrested Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist for the daily newspaper Il Foglio, who was reporting from Iran.

As Ukrinform reports, ANSA reported this with reference to a statement from the Italian Foreign Ministry.

Sala was arrested on December 19 and is currently being held in the notorious Evin prison in the Iranian capital.

The arrested journalist The 29-year-old is a native of Rome. Sala is a correspondent for the Italian daily newspaper Il Foglio and also hosts her own podcast. She previously worked for the Italian state broadcaster Rai.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Sala was in good health and Italy was working on her return. He said the utmost caution was needed in this case.

The Italian Foreign Ministry said that, on behalf of Tajani, the country's embassy and consulate in Tehran have been following Sala's case with particular attention since the beginning. In coordination with the office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the Foreign Ministry is working with the Iranian authorities to clarify the journalist's legal situation and verify the conditions of her detention.

«Today, the Italian Ambassador Paola Amadei made a consular visit to verify the conditions and state of Sala's detention. The family (of the detainee – ed.) was informed about the results of the visit», – the department said.

According to Euronews, Sala recently published a podcast episode with Iranian comedian Zeinab Mousavi, who, according to media reports, criticized the mandatory wearing of the hijab during performances. Mousavi was imprisoned earlier this year but was later released.

Sala flew out of Rome on December 12 with a valid journalist visa and official guarantees for foreign correspondents, Chora Media reported.

During her stay in Tehran, she gave several interviews and prepared three episodes for her podcast. Sala was supposed to return to Rome last Friday, but on the morning of December 19, she stopped responding to messages.

As Ukrinform reported, on November 3, a student was detained in Tehran after stripping down to her underwear in protest against the imposition of an Islamic dress code.