Italy: Efforts to Release Detained Journalist in Iran Are “Complicated”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated on Saturday that the efforts to secure the release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, detained in Iran, are “complicated.”

Sala (29) works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Cora Media. She was arrested in Tehran on December 19, but news of her detention in the notorious Evin prison was only made public on Friday.

Tajani said, “We are trying to solve a complicated issue, while ensuring that Cecilia Sala is held under the best possible conditions.”

When asked when she would be released, Tajani responded, “I hope it will be soon, but it does not depend on us.” He added, “It is clear she is detained, which is not ideal, but she is receiving food and staying in solitary confinement.” He continued, “It seems she is being treated with respect for her personal dignity. So far, we have not received any negative reports.”

Tajani explained that the official reason for Sala’s detention remains unclear, but he hopes her lawyer will be able to visit her soon to learn more.

There has been no official confirmation from Iran regarding the arrest. The minister declined to confirm or deny whether the incident is linked to the arrest of an Iranian in Italy earlier this month at the request of the United States.

The office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she is “closely monitoring the complicated case” and that Rome is pursuing “all possible channels of dialogue” to bring Sala home “as soon as possible.”

The media was urged to handle the case with “necessary caution,” according to Agence France-Presse.

Cora Media, the Italian podcast company for which Sala works, said on Friday that she had traveled to Iran on December 12 with a valid press visa. She was supposed to return to Rome on December 20, but she went missing on December 19 and did not board her flight. Shortly afterward, she called her mother to inform her that she had been arrested, according to the company’s statement on Friday.

The company added: “She was transferred to Evin Prison, where political dissidents are held, and the reason for her detention has not yet been clarified.”

Sala also worked for the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, which said she was in Iran “to cover events in a country she knows and loves.” The newspaper stated: “Journalism is not a crime, even in countries that suppress all freedoms, including freedom of the press. Bring her home.”

Reports have linked Sala’s detention to the arrest of Iranians in the United States and Italy on December 16 for allegedly illegally exporting sensitive technology to Iran.

Last week, Iran summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents U.S. interests in the country, and a senior Italian diplomat to protest the arrest of its citizens.

Italian authorities arrested Abedini Najaf Abadi (38), head of an Iranian navigation systems company, at the request of Washington, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors said the company was a key client of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In the U.S., Mehdi Sadeghi, an engineer accused of illegally purchasing technology for an Iranian company that manufactured a critical component for a drone used in a January attack in Jordan, was also arrested. The attack, carried out by Iran-backed militants, killed three U.S. soldiers.

On Friday, Sadeghi, who was fired from Analog Devices following his arrest, pleaded not guilty in a federal court in Boston to charges of involvement in a scheme to violate U.S. export control laws and sanctions.

In recent years, Iran’s IRGC has detained dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, most of whom faced charges related to espionage and security. Iran, which does not recognize dual nationality, denies using such arrests for diplomatic leverage, while human rights activists accuse Iran of using the practice of “hostage diplomacy” to pressure other countries for concessions.