Cartoon by Paolo Lombardi

Italy summons Iranian ambassador over journalist Cecilia Sala's arrest

Iran International: Italy’s Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on X that he’s ordered the Foreign Ministry to summon Iran’s ambassador over the arrest of journalist Cecilia Sala.

“We’re working tirelessly to bring Cecilia Sala home and demand her rights be respected. Cecilia and her family will never be left alone,” he wrote.

Earlier, Il Giornale reported that Milan's Attorney General Francesca Nanni is set to issue her opinion on the release of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, an Iranian citizen detained at Malpensa airport on December 16 at the request of the US government.

Three days after Najafabadi’s detention, on December 19, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested in Iran on vague charges of "violating Iranian law." Her arrest is widely seen as a direct retaliatory move for Najafabadi’s detention.