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December 28, 2024 – Iran –
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, 29, was detained by Iranian authorities on December 19, 2024, while in Tehran on a journalist’s visa. Iran officially confirmed her arrest on December 30, citing alleged violations of its laws, shortly after Italy detained an Iranian engineer, Mohammad Abedini, under a U.S. warrant.
Sala, a correspondent for Il Foglio and the podcast platform Chora Media, had completed interviews and produced episodes for her podcast series Stories during her visit and had been scheduled to leave Iran on December 20. Instead, she was placed in Evin Prison—notoriously harsh—reportedly held in solitary confinement, deprived of her glasses, and sleeping on the floor beneath neon lights. She was allowed only limited contact with her family via phone and a brief meeting with Italy’s ambassador on December 27.
International press freedom groups—Press Freedom Center, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)—demanded an immediate release, decrying her detention as arbitrary and criticizing Iran’s practice of freezing foreign journalists amid geopolitical disputes. The National Press Club and its Press Freedom Center in the U.S. publicly hailed the “unjust detention” and celebrated her eventual release.
Italy escalated its diplomatic efforts: the foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador and called for improved conditions and her release; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni intervened personally and later welcomed her home. Sala returned to Italy on January 8, 2025, in an operation viewed as a diplomatic success. Reports suggest her release was tied to a prisoner exchange involving Abedini.
While Cecilia Sala is now safe, advocacy groups stress the broader implications: Iran remains one of the world’s top jailers of journalists, with at least 17 detained as of December 2023. RSF emphasized that Sala “should not be used as a political pawn,” urging Iran to respect press freedom and release all imprisoned journalists
Reference –
https://www.press.org/newsroom/press-freedom-center-statement-release-cecilia-sala
