Iran confirms arrest of Italian journalist, state media reports

CNN — Iran has confirmed the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, state news agency IRNA said, citing the Iranian Ministry of Culture. Sala was reporting in the Iranian capital when she was “stopped by Tehran police” on December 19, the Italian foreign ministry statement said, adding that the foreign ministry “has worked with the Iranian authorities to clarify the legal situation of Cecilia Sala and to verify the conditions of her detention.” Sala is a reporter for the Italian daily Il Foglio, which says the journalist is being held in Tehran’s Evin prison. Let’s bring Cecilia Sala home.” The Italian outlet Chora Media, where Sala also works, said Friday that she had left Rome on December 12 “with a valid journalistic visa and the protections of a journalist on assignment. “She conducted several interviews and produced three episodes of the Stories podcast for Chora News,” said the media outlet, adding that it had not made Sala’s detention public sooner as her parents and Italian authorities had asked it to remain silent, hoping for the journalist’s swift release.