Italian Journalist (29) Arrested and Detained in Iranian Cell Before Departure, Rome Demands Release

rome/teheran - Italian journalist Cecilia Sala (29) has been detained in Evin prison in the Iranian capital Tehran for over a week. Rome demands her release as the reasons for her arrest remain unclear.

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, 29, has been detained in Evin prison in Tehran, Iran for more than a week. The reasons for her arrest are unclear. She was in the country for work and was about to leave when she was arrested by the country's feared police.

Rome has called the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in Iran "unacceptable" and is advocating for her release.

The Italian embassy and consulate in Tehran are closely monitoring the situation. Italian Ambassador Paola Amadei visited her to check the circumstances of her detention, the ministry said in a statement. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is also closely following the case.

According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the young journalist had been in Iran for about ten days and was getting ready to return to Italy when she was arrested. Sala arrived in Iran with a journalist visa and had reported on the country's changes after the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The journalist works for the Italian newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media. The podcast company expressed concern when Sala did not board the flight back to Rome on December 20, after spending ten days in Iran conducting interviews and recording three episodes for her podcast series.

The woman is in solitary confinement and was able to briefly speak with her mother on the phone. The reason for her arrest remains unclear for now.

Meanwhile, Chora Media launched a campaign under the hashtag #FreeCecilia to draw attention to the case.

Iran is known to restrict press freedom and is not the most women-friendly country. Recently, a singer was arrested for performing without a headscarf but has since been released.