Italian Journalist Held in Solitary Confinement Violated Media Law, Iran Says

Iranian authorities have accused Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who is being held in prison in Tehran, of violating media laws, according to a statement from the Ministry of Culture, which was distributed by the state news agency Irna.

Sala has been held in solitary confinement in the high-security Evin prison in the Iranian capital, Tehran, for more than a week. The 29-year-old journalist, who works for the newspaper Il Foglio, was arrested in Tehran on December 19. She was supposed to return to Italy the next day. 

According to the Iranian Ministry of Culture, Sala is receiving consular assistance from the Italian embassy in Tehran. If the Iranian courts allow it, the ministry will provide more details about her detention. The Ministry of Culture has jurisdiction over foreign journalists.

According to Iranian media sources, Sala is said to have contacted young Iranian women who do not want to adhere to Islamic rules regarding clothing. 

Sala arrived in Iran on November 12 on a journalist visa. She is known as an expert on Iran and has been to the country several times. According to the Italian Foreign Ministry, after her arrest, she was able to make two phone calls: to her mother and to her partner, also a journalist.

Iranian authorities have generally shown little tolerance towards domestic and foreign media. Iran is also known for holding foreigners hostage to push through political demands or to free Iranians imprisoned abroad. According to Italian newspapers, Sala’s imprisonment could be related to an Iranian arms smuggler who was arrested in Milan at the request of the United States. Iran may now want to put pressure on Rome and prevent the Iranians from being extradited to the US.