An Italian Female Journalist Arrested in Tehran

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the arrest of an Italian female journalist named Cecilia Sala in Tehran. In a statement released on Friday, December 29, it was mentioned that the journalist was detained by the police on December 20. The statement also noted that she has been in solitary confinement for the past nine days. The reasons for Sala's arrest are still unclear, and no specific charges have been brought against her. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that 'all possible contacts' with the journalist have been established, and this morning, Paola Amadi, the Italian ambassador in Tehran, was able to meet her in prison. According to information released by 'Cora Media', the Italian production company with which Cecilia Sala collaborates, the journalist flew from Rome to Tehran on December 13 with a regular journalism work visa valid for one week and renewable. According to the report, she was supposed to return to Rome on December 30, but on the morning of December 20, after exchanging messages, her phone was turned off, and she did not respond to any messages thereafter. That evening, the young journalist contacted her mother and only informed her of her arrest. As reported by 'Cora Media', Ms. Sala has spoken to her parents twice during this time, and in one of these phone calls, she told them, 'I am fine, but hurry up,' indicating a plea for her release. The authorities and official institutions of the Islamic Republic have not yet reacted to this report, and the reason for the journalist's arrest is still unclear. The last post available from her account on X (formerly Twitter) pertains to the topic of 'patriarchy' in Tehran. Her last Instagram post was about her meeting with Zainab Mousavi, known as the 'Emperor of Cusco,' an Instagram activist and comedian who had previously been arrested in Iran. This post was published one day before the journalist's arrest. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it is working to find out the reason for the journalist's arrest and to secure her release. Previously, in the fall of 2022, during the peak of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, Alessia Piperno, an Italian tourist and blogger from Rome, was also arrested in Tehran and was eventually released after 45 days in detention following lengthy diplomatic negotiations. The arrest of foreign or dual-national journalists in the Islamic Republic of Iran has always been a controversial issue and has led to widespread international reactions. Many of these individuals have faced charges such as 'espionage,' 'illegal activities,' or 'collaboration with opposition groups,' and in some cases, including the well-known case of Jason Rezaian, the Islamic Republic has used them as 'hostages' in its diplomacy. The most recent case of arrest and trial involves Reza Valizadeh, an Iranian-American journalist and former Radio Farda reporter, who resigned from this media outlet in November 2022 and returned to Iran on March 7, 2023, to visit his family after spending some time abroad. Reza Valizadeh was sentenced to 10 years in prison and is currently in Evin prison.