An Italian war correspondent has been arrested in Iran and has been held in Tehran's infamous prison for more than a week, Italian officials said.
Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested on December 19, according to the Italian foreign ministry, but her arrest was only made public on Friday. Officers did not provide a reason for her arrest.
The famous Italian journalist works for Il Foglio newspaper and hosts “Skeulachdan,” a daily podcast on Chora Media.
Cecila Sala (above) was arrested in Iran on December 19, Italian officials said on Friday. AP
In a statement, Chora Media said Sala was being held in solitary confinement at Tehran's Evin prison, infamous for its treatment of political prisoners since the 1970s.
Sala left Rome for Iran on December 12 with a valid journalist's visa, according to Chora Media. During her time in Tehran, she produced three episodes of her podcast and published several stories.
In a statement, Chora Media said Sala was being held in solitary confinement in Tehran's Evin prison. Cecilia Sala via REUTERS
Her statement said that many women no longer wore the hijab to protest against the country's leaders.
While in Tehran, she also interviewed an Iranian comedian who was jailed in the country.
Sala was supposed to board a flight back to Italy on December 20, but never arrived at the airport, Italian officials said. She stopped sending messages from her phone on December 19, according to Chora Media.
Iranian officials did not immediately confirm the arrests.
Cecilia Sala was reporting in Tehran for Il Foglio and her “Stories” podcast. @ceciliasala via REUTERS
“Cecilia was in Iran, with a valid visa, to cover a country she knows and loves – a country where information is suppressed through repression, threats, intimidation, violence and detention, often targeting journalists themselves,” Il Foglio said in a statement.
“Journalism is not a crime,” the paper said.
Last week, Iran had summoned a senior Italian diplomat over the arrest of an Iranian national, Reuters reported, citing Iranian media.
The day before Sala's arrest, Italian police said they arrested an Iranian man accused of supplying drone parts to the Iranian military. The 38-year-old is facing extradition to the US, Italian officials said in a statement.
