Prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh criticized the Iranian authorities for using foreign nationals as bargaining chips following the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala.

"For the regime, every foreign citizen is a bargaining chip for their demands," Sotoudeh said in an interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.

She described Sala's arrest as "disgraceful" and demanded her immediate release, stressing, "Journalism is neither a crime nor a bargaining chip."

The case has been likened to that of Swedish EU diplomat who was exchanged in return for a jailed Iranian official imprisoned on charges of war crimes in June.

Last year, five US-Iranians were also exchanged for the release of $5bn in frozen Iranian funds.

Sotoudeh called on the international community to pressure Iran to respect human rights and release all unjustly imprisoned journalists, the exact numbers of which are not known, but around 100 have been arrested in Iran this year alone.

In 2021, Sotoudeh was recognized as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World. Despite her contributions to human rights advocacy, Sotoudeh was imprisoned in Tehran's Evin Prison, where Sala is now being held, and was released on a medical furlough in July 2021.

Recalling the time she spent in the notorious jail, which has held a string of high-profile international detainees such as British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, she said: "I remember the gray walls, the very small space in the room, and the cold. Political prisoners like us were given just one blanket without a pillow or mattress. I couldn’t call home, and when they allowed me this luxury, there was always a guard next to me listening to my conversations."

Her husband Reza Khandan was recently detained in Tehran for his activism and his support of Sotoudeh's campaign against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws.