Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist, has been released from detention in Iran and is returning home, according to a statement issued by the office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday.
Sala, 29, was working on a legitimate journalistic visa when he was caught in Tehran on December 19 and confined in solitary confinement at the notorious Evin jail in the Iranian capital.
Sala was arrested and detained three days after Mohammad Abedini, an Iranian businessman, was arrested at Milan’s Malpensa Airport on a US warrant for allegedly selling drone parts used in a 2024 attack that killed three US service members in Jordan.
Iran has denied involvement in the attack.
Read also: https://www.tvcnews.tv/2024/12/italian-journalist-cecilia-sala-arrested-in-tehran/
According to the Italian statement, Sala was liberated “thanks to intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels.”
“I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped make Cecilia’s return possible,” Meloni said on X. The Italian prime minister was expected to greet Sala in person when she landed in Rome later on Wednesday.
Sala works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media.
Her swift release represents a diplomatic win for Meloni, who had feared the case could drag on for weeks.
The Italian leader paid a surprise visit to Florida over the weekend to meet with U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump. There were no specifics disclosed about the talks, however Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini stated that they discussed Sala’s condition.
Also read: https://www.tvcnews.tv/2025/01/italy-summons-iran-envoy-over-detention-of-journalist-sala-in-tehran/
In recent years, Iran’s security forces have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals, usually on espionage and security grounds. Rights groups have accused Iran of attempting to obtain concessions from other nations through such arrests. Iran denies it.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated on Sunday that Abedini’s imprisonment constituted hostage-taking.
È in volo l’aereo che riporta a casa Cecilia Sala da Teheran.
Grazie a un intenso lavoro sui canali diplomatici e di intelligence, la nostra connazionale è stata rilasciata dalle autorità iraniane e sta rientrando in Italia. Ho informato personalmente i genitori della giornalista…— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) January 8, 2025
