ROME (Reuters) - The editor of an Italian newspaper was re-arrested on Saturday, police said, after he intentionally violated the terms of his house detention to draw attention to the issue of press freedom.

Alessandro Sallusti, editor-in-chief of Il Giornale, a newspaper owned by the family of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, was sentenced to 14 months in September for a libellous article in 2007, when he was at another newspaper.

His case has become a cause célèbre in the media because parliament is considering a law that would toughen jail sentences and sanctions for journalists convicted of libel.

Sallusti said he intentionally violated the terms of his house arrest when he left his home to bring attention to the law, which is still before parliament.

He said he wanted to make a "political provocation".

He was later returned to house arrest and faces a new trial for evading custody.

Italian journalists had scheduled a one-day strike last week after the Senate approved the measure but then postponed the work action because the law must still go to the lower house of parliament, where it is expected to be modified.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Sophie Hares)