An Italian journalist has been detained in Iran for more than a week, the Italian Foreign Ministry said.
Cecilia Sala works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was following Ms Sala’s case “very carefully” since she was arrested by Tehran police on December 19.
There was no immediate confirmation of any arrests of Iranian officials.
Chora Media said in another statement that Ms. Sala is being held in solitary confinement in Evin prison in Tehran and no reason has been given for her arrest.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Italy stated that the ambassador of Rome in Tehran, Paola Amadei, visited him to check the conditions under which he was detained, adding that he was allowed to make two phone calls to his family.
It also said that Italy “has been cooperating with the Iranian authorities to clarify the legal status of Cecilia Sala”.
According to Chora Media, Ms. Sala left Rome for Iran on December 12 with an official journalist’s visa and conducted several interviews, producing three episodes of her “News” podcast.
It added that he was due to fly to Rome on December 20, but his phone “went silent” after exchanging several messages on December 19.
Sala’s other employer, Il Foglio, called for his release, saying “journalism is not a crime”.
“Cecilia was in Iran, with a regular visa, to report on a country she knows and loves, a country where information is suppressed by oppression,” said the newspaper in a statement on its website.
Last week, Iran summoned the Swiss ambassador to Tehran and the Italian ambassador over the arrest of two Iranians, Reuters reported, citing Iranian media.
Iran was rocked by protests in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in September of that year. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in connection with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests.
Mahsa was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s laws requiring women to wear the hijab and died in police custody.
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