Iran’s judiciary spokesman on Tuesday said he had no information about the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in Tehran, suggesting that she has not been formally charged and was detained by an agency outside the judiciary's purview.
While judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir provided updates on various judicial cases during a press conference on Tuesday, questions remain as to why the judiciary is unaware of the journalist's arrest.
The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has already confirmed Sala's detention a day earlier, citing alleged legal violations but withholding specifics.
"Cecilia Sala, an Italian citizen, traveled to Iran on December 13, 2024, with a journalist visa and was arrested on December 19, 2024, on charges of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Her case is currently under investigation," a statement by the ministry said Monday.
Confirming Sala's arrest in Tehran, Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said last Friday that the entire government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, has been working tirelessly since her detention to secure the journalist’s release.
Sala’s detention in Tehran may be linked to the arrest of a Swiss-Iranian businessman at Malpensa Airport three days earlier on a US warrant for allegedly violating sanctions on electronic exports, La Repubblica reported citing his lawyer.
