Iran confirms arresting Italian journalist Cecilia Sala

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Tehran confirmed Monday that an Italian journalist has been arrested on charges of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, state media reported.

The country’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which oversees media activity, said in a statement that Cecilia Sala traveled to Iran on Dec. 13 on a journalist visa and was arrested six days later, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The statement said Sala’s case is under investigation, adding that the Italian embassy in Tehran was informed after her arrest. The ministry said Sala’s arrest was carried out under relevant regulations and she was granted consular access. She has contacted her family by phone.

On Friday, Italy’s foreign ministry said the Iranian police detained Sala in the Iranian capital on Dec. 19, while she was working with Iranian authorities “to clarify the legal situation of Sala and to verify the conditions of her detention.”

Sala is a reporter for the Italian daily Il Foglio, which said she is being held in Tehran’s Evin prison. Il Foglio said Sala was in Iran on a regular visa “to report on a country she knows and loves.”

Since the 1979 U.S. Embassy crisis, which saw dozens of hostages released after 444 days in captivity, Iran has used prisoners with Western ties as bargaining chips in negotiations.

Italian media said Sala’s detention was believed to be aimed at securing the release of Mohammad Abedini-Najafabad, an Iranian-Swiss expert in drones who was detained in Italy on Dec. 16 on a U.S. warrant to be extradited to the United States. Without attribution, Italian daily Corriere della Sera said Iran’s vice foreign minister had implied such a swap to the Italian ambassador to Iran, Paola Amadei.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani referred to the arrest of Abedini in an appearance with Italian broadcaster Rete4 about Sala's case.

“An Iranian-Swiss citizen was arrested in Italy, not because he committed crimes in Italy but because there was an international arrest warrant from the United States for this person,” Tajani said. “Now the Italian courts are evaluating if extradition is possible or not.”

Tajani noted that the situation was delicate but said he he hoped to bring Sala home as soon as possible.

In September 2023 five Americans detained for years in Iran were freed in exchange for five Iranians in U.S. custody and for $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets to be released by South Korea.

Roxana Saberi, an American journalist, was detained by Iran in 2009 for some 100 days before being released. Also detained by Iran was Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, who was held for over 540 days before being released in 2016 in a prisoner swap between Iran and the U.S.

Both cases involved Iran making false espionage accusations in closed-door hearings.