Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested by the Iranian police in Tehran on 19 December, while on assignment, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their affiliate, the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI), in calling on the Iranian authorities to release the journalist immediately and unconditionally.
In a statement published on 27 December, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, 29, by police in Tehran, where the journalist was travelling for her job. According to the ministry, the Italian Ambassador to Iran, Paola Amadei, paid a consular visit, to verify the conditions and status of the journalist’s detention. She was informed that Sala was allowed to make two phone calls to her relatives.
Sala is a correspondent of the Italian newspaper Il Foglio and has her own podcast ‘Stories’ produced by Chora Media, an Italian podcast publisher. Her employer, Chora Media reported that she left Rome for Iran on 12 December with a journalism visa, and was due to return on 20 December. However, she never boarded her return flight. The journalist has been held in custody since 19 December in Evin prison, northern Tehran.
Il Foglio has issued a statement demanding that the Iranian authorities release Sala, while reiterating that journalism is not a crime.
FNSI urged the Iranian authorities to release Sala immediately.“We are activating all our contacts to find out the conditions and situation of the journalist. The union asks for the immediate release of the journalists”.
Usigrai, the journalists’ union of the Italian public broadcaster, joined the call for the reporter to be freed. “The regime in Tehran must free Cecilia Sala; she is just a journalist doing her job with dedication and passion. Any other reason to keep our colleague in prison is just a way to intimidate those who freely report. We call on the Italian government for the immediate return of Cecilia Sala to Italy”.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “We deplore Iran’s tactics of imprisoning foreign journalists in order to get something in return. Our Italian colleague Cecilia Sala, who was in the country on assignment, is the latest victim of this macabre practice. We call on the international community to put pressure on the Iranian authorities to release the journalist immediately.”
“It is clear that Cecilia Sala is being used as a bargaining chip by the Iranian regime,” added the EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez. “There is no justification for her being held in solitary confinement. We demand her immediate release”.
Source: EFJ
