Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, 29, has been detained in Tehran, Iran, since 19 December2024while working on assignment under a valid journalist visa. Sala, a correspondent for Il Foglio (https://www.ilfoglio.it/) and contributor to Chora Media’s podcast Stories (https://choramedia.com/podcast/stories/), was arrested by Iranian authorities and placed in solitary confinement at Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, a facility allegedly notorious for holding political prisoners and facing allegations of human rights abuses. The arrest, initially undisclosed, was confirmed by Iran’s Ministry of Culture, which claimed Sala had violated local laws but did not specify the charges.
The Italian Foreign Ministry, led by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, is actively working to secure her release, with Ambassador Paola Amadei visiting Sala in prison and confirming her well-being. Sala has been allowed limited communication with her family, making two phone calls since her detention. Diplomatic efforts are ongoing, though Tajani acknowledged the complexity of the situation.
Chora Media and Il Foglio have demanded Sala’s immediate release, emphasizing that journalism is not a crime. Sala’s arrest has sparked widespread condemnation from media organizations and human rights groups which criticized Iran’s practice of detaining foreign journalists as leverage in international disputes.
The timing of Sala’s detention has raised questions about possible political motivations. Just days before her arrest, Italy detained an Iranian Revolutionary Guard member at the request of the United States, linked to alleged sanctions violations and a drone attack that killed United States (U.S.) servicemen in Jordan. Iran has a history of detaining foreign nationals as bargaining tools, a claim Tehran denies.
Cecilia Sala, born on 26 July 1995 in Rome, Italy, is a renowned Italian journalist specializing in political and war reporting. She began her career in 2015 as a correspondent for Vice (https://www.vice.com/en/) and later worked with prominent outlets such as La7’s Servizio pubblico (https://www.la7.it/servizio-pubblico/rivedila7), L’Espresso (https://lespresso.it/), Vanity Fair (https://www.vanityfair.com/), Radiotelevisioneitaliana(RAI – https://www.rai.it/\), and Fremantle Media (https://www.fremantle.it/). Since 2019, Sala has been associated with Il Foglio while contributing to the Huffington Post (https://www.huffpost.com/), Mondadori (https://www.mondadorigroup.com/), and Chora Media. As a war correspondent, she has reported from conflict zones in Afghanistan during the 2021 Taliban offensive, Ukraine during the Russian-Ukrainian War, Iran, including the 2024 Iran-Israel conflict. Her work also includes coverage of crises in Venezuela and Chile, showcasing her dedication to international journalism.
The international community continues to watch closely as Italy intensifies diplomatic efforts to ensure Sala’s safe return.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the arrest and detention of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala by Iranian authorities, calling it a blatant violation of press freedom and human rights. Sala, an experienced war correspondent with a valid journalist visa, was unjustly detained in Tehran and held in solitary confinement in Evin Prison. Journalism is not a crime, and her arrest represents an unacceptable attempt to silence independent reporting. SEEMO demands her immediate and unconditional release and urges the international community to pressure Iran to respect media freedom. SEEMO will closely monitor the situation to ensure justice is served and Sala’s rights are upheld.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regionalnon-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives andleading journalists in Southeast, South,East and Central Europe. SEEMOmembers are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia,Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria),Montenegro, NorthMacedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia,Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine andUzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and SanMarino have a special statusin SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members,and additional mediaas corporate members.
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