Madrid — A Spanish woman was arrested in Iran. Spain’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that it was the second Spanish woman to be detained in Iran in just over a month amid widespread unrest. Separately, an Italian woman detained last week was released.
The Spanish embassy in Tehran is tracking the case and is in contact with the family of 24-year-old Ana Baneira, the foreign ministry said. It declined to provide further details.
The embassy is also dealing with the case of a Spanish man trekking from Madrid to Doha for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, who was believed to have been arrested in Iran earlier last month.
Spanish diplomats have been in contact with Iranian authorities about 41-year-old climber Santiago Sanchez, according to the Foreign Ministry.
In Rome, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the release of another foreigner, Alessia Piperno, who had been detained during the protests, saying she would “go home”. Italian news reports say Piperno has joined social media in solidarity with protests against the death in police custody of 22-year-old Masa Amini, who was detained by morality police on suspicion of violating the country’s strict dress code for women. posted on
Subsequent protests evolved into a challenge to the country’s theocracy.
At least 328 people were killed and 14,825 arrested, according to Iranian human rights activists, a group monitoring the protests.
