Italian Journalist Cecilia Sala Describes Harrowing Detention in Iran’s Evin Prison

January 20, 2025 – Italy/Iran – 

Italian war correspondent Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested in Tehran on December 19, 2024, while reporting on assignment for Il Foglio. Despite holding a valid journalist visa, Iranian authorities accused her of violating national laws and detained her in Evin Prison, known for housing political prisoners and critics of the regime.

During her 21-day detention, Sala was held in solitary confinement and subjected to extreme psychological pressure. She described spending nights on a concrete floor, under constant lighting, and without her glasses, which were confiscated upon arrest. She recounted intense interrogation sessions lasting up to 10 hours, during which she was hooded and forced to sit facing a wall. She was denied legal assistance, proper meals, and contact with the outside world.

Her arrest came shortly after the Italian government detained Iranian-Swiss engineer Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi in Milan at the request of the United States. While Iranian authorities denied a connection, many observers and human rights groups viewed Sala’s detention as retaliatory—part of Iran’s pattern of using foreign nationals as bargaining chips in diplomatic disputes.

After intense negotiations led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and possibly involving U.S. intermediaries, Sala was released on January 8, 2025, and flown out of Tehran on a chartered plane. Her release is considered one of the fastest cases of a foreign journalist being freed from Iranian custody in recent decades.

Upon returning to Italy, Sala publicly recounted the degrading and isolating conditions she faced in Evin Prison, drawing attention to the broader issue of “hostage diplomacy” practiced by the Iranian regime. Human rights groups condemned her detention and called for greater protections for journalists reporting in authoritarian states.

Bottom line: Cecilia Sala’s detention underscores the growing risks faced by foreign journalists in Iran. Her ordeal highlights the dangers of state-sponsored intimidation and the use of detention as a diplomatic tool. While diplomatic pressure led to her release, her case reflects broader threats to press freedom and international norms.

Reference – 

https://www.politico.eu/article/italy-journalist-cecilia-sala-iran-prison-horrors/