These are hours of anguish for Alessia Piperno, a Roman, 30 years old, arrested in Iran. Sunday after four days of absolute silence in which she seemed to have disappeared, she phoned her parents Alberto and Manuela in despair, crying: «They arrested me in Tehran. Please help me ».
The young woman said she had “fooled around” to get permission to make a phone call. “I’m fine, but there are people here who say they’ve been inside for months and for no reason, I’m afraid I won’t go out anymore, help me.” The parents turned to the foreign ministry which is following the case. But it is still not even clear in which prison the girl is being held. A very worrying situation, even considering the dramatic moment in Iran, with the protests in the streets for the killing of Masha Amin resulted in a terrible repression.
Three days ago Amnesty International denounced the arrest of 9 foreigners considered “accomplices” of the demonstrators and also revealed that there is an Italian among them. The Iranian authorities then confirmed the arrest of an Italian citizen.
Alessia Piperno, Roman, free spirit, lonely traveler, digital nomad, arrived in Iran in July after living around the world – Australia, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Morocco, Honduras, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Panama, El Salvador – who would now be held in a Tehran prison.
His social networks, mirror of his many travels, have been silent since last September 28th. The last photo with cake, candles, balloons, hats and friends to celebrate her thirty years. And her cell phone was also silent. Alberto Piperno, posted on Facebook a photo of her daughter and an appeal: “This girl is Alessia Piperno, and she is my daughter – she wrote – she is a lonely traveler, she travels the world to learn about the customs and traditions of peoples. She has always adapted and respected the traditions and, in some cases, the obligations of each country she has visited. We hadn’t heard from her for four days, since her thirtieth birthday, September 28th. The last access to her cell phone also shows that date. This morning (yesterday, editor’s note) a call arrives. It was she who, crying, warned us that she was in prison. In Tehran. In Iran. She had been arrested by the police along with her friends of hers as she was preparing to celebrate her birthday. It was just a few words but desperate. She was asking for help. “
Thus, the father continues, “we immediately moved with the Farnesina, we called the Italian Embassy in Teheran. But we still don’t know anything, not even the reason for the imprisonment. They tell us they are moving…. And we parents, and brother David, can’t sit idle. You can’t stand still when a child tells you: please help me… I’m not a photo poster and I hardly ever use social media but today I couldn’t help it… ».
Alessia had arrived in Iran in mid-July: “It begins to enchant me” she wrote in her first post from that land on July 22. In yesterday’s phone call to her father (owner of a bookshop in a neighborhood south of the capital, Colli Albani), as reported by the newspaper Il Messaggero, she said she was fine but was also worried about the arrest of some of her foreign friends. A week ago, while protests (and harsh repression) were raging for the death of Masha Amini and Hadith Najafi, wrote: “I can’t get out of here, now more than ever. They are demonstrating for their freedom.”