It was cold yesterday in Tehran. At night the thermometer dropped to -2 degrees, the maximum reached only 6. The journalist has been locked up in the Evin prison, located in the Iranian capital, since 19 December Cecilia Sala.
He doesn’t have a bed to sleep on. She is resting on the floor, which is very cold, and has only been given two blankets. One he puts on the ground, one he uses to cover himself. The cold of Evin is known to those who have passed through that prison, “it is painful”. And then that damned neon light, on 24 hours a day. And the seized eyeglasses. No human contact, just a crack that opens during meal times through which dates and little else enter.
Cecilia Sala told it in the only phone call she was allowed to make to her parents. To then add, more than once: “We have to do it very quickly.” The only friendly face that the journalist was able to see in these two weeks was that of the ambassador Paola Amadei: a meeting that lasted thirty minutes in the presence of the guards who demanded that the two speak in English, to understand what they were saying. The ambassador had brought her a package containing hygiene products, books and a panettone. But it was never delivered to Cecilia. There are hours of waiting for the journalist’s family and for her partner Daniele Raineri, also a journalist. Cecilia’s words have removed any doubt from her loved ones about the terrible conditions in which she is detained, not at all “dignified”, as the authorities had initially said. Their choice not to speak, not to make statements, says a lot about the tension they are experiencing, waiting for positive news.
Her partner himself had published a post five days ago on Instagram: «There are many messages of solidarity addressed to Cecilia. As soon as possible, he will know about all this affection. Cecilia Sala went to work in Iran with a journalist visa. On the penultimate day she was arrested by the Iranian authorities and locked in an isolation cell in Evin prison, Tehran. The first visit to prison was authorized only after eight days in solitary confinement.” More than 600 comments, especially from boys and girls who have learned to know Cecilia through her podcasts – “for us she is now part of the family, the appointment at 6pm with her is fixed”, says a follower – and through her services . The hearts left by Serena Bortone and Peter Gomez stand out. The University Union dedicated a post to her with the words: “Journalism is not a crime”.