INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Iran confirmed the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala for &violating the laws of the Islamic Republic&, Iran&s official IRNA news
agency reported on Monday.Sala, 29, who works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media, was detained in Tehran on Dec
19, according to the Italian foreign ministry.Italy&s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Saturday declined to say whether the case might be
linked to the arrest of an Iranian in Italy this month at the request of the United States, Reuters reported.The case of the Italian
journalist being held in Iran is &complicated&, but Rome hopes to bring Sala home quickly, Tajani said.&Italian national Cecilia Sala
13 with a journalist visa and was detained on Dec
19… for violating the laws of the Islamic Republic,& a statement by Iran&s Culture Ministry said, according to IRNA.Chora Media said Sala
had left Rome for Iran on Dec
12 with a valid journalist visa and had conducted several interviews and produced three episodes of her &Stories& podcast
She had been due to fly back to Rome on Dec
20.Sala has been in contact by phone with her family and the Italian embassy in Tehran was notified of her detention, the statement said.In
recent years, Iran&s security forces have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals, mostly on charges related to espionage and
security, read the report.Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests
Iran denies taking prisoners to gain diplomatic leverage.The post Iran confirms arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala first appeared on
