Italy Urges Iran’s Ambassador to Free Italian Journalist Detained as a ‘Political Prisoner’ – One America News Network
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:15 PM – Thursday, January 2, 2025
The Italian foreign ministry expressed strong disapproval to Iran’s ambassador on Thursday, demanding the release of Cecilia Sala, the Italian journalist who was detained in Iran on December 19th.
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Sala, a prominent journalist for the Il Foglio, has been subjected to solitary confinement in Tehran for reportedly “violating Islamic laws,” according to state media.
During her stay, Sala held a journalistic visa, yet she has allegedly been enduring harsh conditions in Evin prison, forced to sleep on the cold floor of her cell without a mattress.
She has also managed to communicate with her parents, revealing that a bright neon light stays on in her cell continuously. Sala explained that her meals are passed to her through a gap in the door, and she has only received two blankets—one to sleep on and another for warmth.
The foreign ministry stated that in a meeting with Iran’s ambassador in Rome, Mohammad-Reza Sabouri, they demanded that Sala be granted “dignified detention conditions that respect human rights,” alongside a request for Italy’s ambassador to Iran to visit her and “provide her with the types of comfort that have so far been denied.”
“The news regarding her detention conditions is alarming,” remarked Italy’s opposition Democrat Party. “The inhumane treatment she is experiencing is unacceptable.”
A spokesperson from the U.S. State Department pointed out that Sala’s arrest serves as a bargaining tool following the December 16th arrest of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, a Swiss-Iranian businessman linked to arms trafficking and the Iranian regime.
Najafabad was reportedly involved in a January 28th, 2024, drone strike in Jordan that claimed the lives of three American soldiers.
“Regrettably, the Iranian regime continues to unjustly detain citizens from various countries, frequently using them as political leverage,” the spokesperson noted in an interview with La Repubblica.
Evin prison, where Sala is detained, is notorious for holding political prisoners, including journalists, foreign nationals, and dissenters against the Iranian regime.
Narges Mohammadi, the vice-president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, is among the most recognized inmates in the facility. She previously won the 2023 Iranian Nobel Peace Prize and has expressed her intention to publish a book detailing the stories of women who have been politically targeted in the oppressive regime.
“I’ve completed my autobiography and I plan to publish it. I’m currently writing another book focusing on sexual assaults and harassment against women detained in Iran. I hope it will be released soon,” she mentioned.
She further described the severe physical consequences she faced during her time at Evin prison.
“My body has indeed weakened after three years of intermittent detention … and the continuous denial of medical care has seriously affected me, but my mind remains resilient,” she stated.
“I have meticulously documented instances of torture and severe sexual violence against my fellow inmates,” Mohammadi added. “It’s a place where political prisoners meet their demise.”
Since the 1979 U.S. Embassy crisis in Iran, which resulted in numerous American hostages being held for 444 days, the Iranian regime has consistently resorted to imprisoning Western citizens as bargaining chips.
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