The Iranian Ministry of Culture today confirmed the arrest in Tehran on December 19 of Italian journalist Setsilia Sala for “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic” during her professional stay on a journalist visa, the official Iranian news agency IRNA confirmed.

Sala, 29, works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast website Chora Media.”Her case is now under investigation,” Irna said, citing the Iranian culture ministry, which is in charge of foreign media.

“Ms. Cecilia Sala, an Italian national, was allowed into Iran on December 13 on a journalist visa and was arrested on December 19 for violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Irna added. Sala, according to media reports, has since been in solitary confinement in a cell in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, according to Chora Media.

Italy denounced her arrest on Friday, calling it “unacceptable.”

On Saturday, Italy’s Foreign Minister Anthony Tajani refused to confirm whether her arrest was linked to that of a Swiss-Iranian businessman in Milan, three days earlier following a request from the US accusing him of trafficking drone parts. The case is “complex, but Rome hopes to bring it back home soon, the minister concluded.

However, as reported by the Italian news agency ANSA, Tehran wants to proceed with a prisoner exchange. According to the same source, the Italian government has stressed the need for discretion on the part of the media.

The website Chora Media reported that Sala left Rome on December 12 on a valid journalist visa and did several interviews and three episodes for her podcast titled “Stories.” She was due to return to Rome on December 20.

She has contacted her family by phone and the Italian embassy in Tehran has been informed of her detention, according to a statement from the Iranian culture ministry. In recent years, Iranian security forces have arrested dozens of foreigners and persons with dual citizenship, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.

Human rights organizations have accused Iran of trying to extract privileges from other countries through such arrests. Iran denies that it arrests people to gain diplomatic benefits.