Iran confirms arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, Italy denounces move
Hindustan TimesIran confirmed on Monday that it had arrested Italian journalist Cecilia Sala for "violating the law", state media reported, a move that has been decried by Italy as "unacceptable". Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who was detained on Dec. 19 as she was reporting in Iran "Cecilia Sala, an Italian citizen, travelled to Iran on December 13, 2024 with a journalist's visa and was arrested on December 19, 2024 for violating the law of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the official IRNA news agency said, citing a statement by the culture ministry without elaborating. Chora Media, an Italian podcast publisher for which Sala worked, said she had travelled from Rome to Iran on a journalist visa, and was due to return on December 20. Iran's culture ministry confirmed Monday that Sala had been allowed consular assistance and that she "has been in contact with her family by phone".