Cecilia Sala detained at Evin prison in Tehran.

Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday that the case of the Italian journalist Cecilia Sala imprisoned in Iran is "complicated" but said he hoped she would be released shortly.

The 29-year-old reporter, who works for Il Foglio newspaper and podcast company Chora Media, was detained in Tehran on 19 December but her arrest was only made public on Friday.

Tajani said that Rome was working for Sala's release and to ensure in the meantime that she is "detained in the best possible conditions", noting that she was being held in a "single cell" at the notorious Evin prison.

In a post on X, Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto said Sala's arrest was “unacceptable” and that "Italy is working tirelessly to free her, pursuing every avenue."

#FreeCecilia pic.twitter.com/idnzNW3oAJ

— Chora Media (@Chora_Media) December 27, 2024

Sala's podcast publisher Chora Media also called for her release, saying in a statement: "She was taken to Evin prison, where dissidents are held, and the reason for her arrest has not yet been formalized."

Sala travelled to Iran "with a valid journalistic visa and the protections of a journalist on assignment", Chora Media stated, adding that she conducted several interviews and produced three episodes of the Stories podcast for Chora News.

She was arrested in Tehran on 19 December, the day before she was due to leave the country, and has since been held in solitary confinement at Evin prison.

Photo credit: GIO_LE / Shutterstock.com.