Two Journalist Federations: The Iranian Government Must Immediately Release Cecilia Sala

The International Federation of Journalists and the National Federation of Press of Italy called on the Iranian authorities on Saturday, January 8, to immediately and unconditionally release Cecilia Sala, the detained Italian journalist. According to the Telegram channel of the International Federation of Journalists, Ms. Sala, a 29-year-old Italian journalist, was arrested by police in Tehran on December 20 and is reportedly imprisoned in Evin Prison in Tehran. The Iranian authorities have not yet commented on the arrest and charges against this journalist. The Italian Foreign Ministry also announced the arrest of this journalist in a statement on Friday, January 7. Anthony Bellanger, the Secretary-General of the International Federation of Journalists, stated, 'We condemn Iran's tactics of imprisoning foreign journalists to achieve its goals,' adding, 'Our Italian colleague, Cecilia Sala, who was in Iran for journalistic activities, is the latest victim of this sinister act.' Mr. Bellanger further urged the international community to exert more pressure on Iranian authorities for the immediate release of this journalist. Ms. Sala is a reporter for the Italian newspaper 'Il Foglio' and runs a section titled 'Stories.' The newspaper Il Foglio issued a statement calling for Cecilia Sala's release by the Iranian authorities and emphasized that journalism is not a crime. The newspaper reported that she had traveled to Iran with a journalist visa from Rome and was supposed to return to Italy on December 21, but she never made it to her return flight. The Italian Foreign Minister: The case of the detained journalist in Iran is complicated. Shirin Ebadi: The Italian journalist will not be the last hostage of the Islamic Republic. A journalist in the grip of the Islamic Republic: Iranian women do not observe hijab and are not afraid. The arrest of an Italian journalist in Iran by the Islamic Republic.