Italian Blogger Who Wrote About 'Hijab Protests' Detained in Iran

It Seems to Be One of the Nine Arrested

Italian travel blogger Alessia Piperno / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunji Kwon] An Italian travel blogger who posted about the ongoing "hijab protests" in Iran has reportedly been arrested and detained in Iran.

According to Italy's ANSA news agency on the 3rd (local time), Alessia Piferno, an Italian national, was arrested in Iran on the 28th of last month and is currently imprisoned in a Tehran prison.

Piferno is a blogger who runs a travel-focused Instagram page while traveling the world. She visited Iran in mid-July and recently posted about the "hijab protests" on Instagram. She wrote, "Truly many people have lost their lives," and "Many others are risking their lives fighting for a freedom they will never witness." She also added, "Leaving Iran would be the wisest thing I should do now, but I cannot leave because I am already a part of all this."

The arrest was revealed belatedly when Piferno called her father from prison. It is known that she had been out of contact for four days.

In Iran, anti-government protests have continued since the death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for not wearing a hijab and died under suspicious circumstances. Iranian authorities have been cracking down harshly, including using violence against protesters. So far, nine foreigners have been arrested.