“An investigation is still underway,” the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. Eighteen days after the young woman’s arrest, no charges have yet been made public, with the exception of a terse press release accusing her of having violated the laws of the Islamic Republic. Cecilia Sala arrived in Tehran on December 12 with an official journalist visa granted by Iran. Mario Calabresi, the editor-in-chief of Chora Media, excludes that the journalist could have taken any risks.
A currency of exchange
“Clearly, Cecilia Sala was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” says Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, a long-term Italian diplomat. “It’s a complicated case. The journalist has become a sort of bargaining chip for the Iranians, who are pushing for the release of Mohammad Abedini, arrested in Italy.”
The 38-year-old Iranian engineer, who also has a Swiss residence permit, was arrested at Malpensa airport on December 16, at the request of the American authorities. He has since been in the Opera prison in Milan. The United States accuses him of plotting and providing material support to the Revolutionary Guard Corps (Pasdaran), the paramilitary organization dedicated to protecting the Islamic Republic. According to the American judicial authorities, the engineer owns a shell company in Lausanne to circumvent the American embargo. It would thus provide technological parts to the IRGC in order to build military drones, like the one used in the attack against an American base in Jordan in January 2024, which killed three American soldiers and injured dozens of others.
Iran protests arrest of two nationals in US and Italy
Iran describes the arrest of Mohammad Abedini as a hostage-taking and rejects the idea that Cecilia Sala’s case is linked to that of the engineer. Tehran also warned Italy that not releasing him or, worse, extraditing him to the United States, where he risks life in prison, could seriously compromise bilateral relations between the two countries.
Between a rock and a hard place
The Italian government finds itself in a delicate situation. The release of the journalist and the improvement of her detention conditions are the priorities for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has personally engaged with the young woman’s parents. On Saturday, at the risk of offending the sensibilities of American President Joe Biden, expected in Rome at the end of the week for his last international trip, Giorgia Meloni flew across the Atlantic to meet Donald Trump at his residence in Florida. A three-hour visit during which she allegedly exerted insistent pressure, according to the New York Timesso that the new American administration helps Italy get out of this diplomatic conundrum, Rome being caught between a rock and a hard place in the standoff between the United States and Iran. “It went well, I am more than satisfied,” wrote the head of the Italian government on the social network X, upon returning to Italy.
Giorgia Meloni met Donald Trump so that the new American administration could help Italy get out of this diplomatic conundrum.
Media silence
The hearing relating to the request for house arrest for the Iranian engineer is set for January 15. Her release from prison could allow Italy to demand more human rights-friendly detention conditions for Cecilia Sala. A refusal could have a significant impact on the case. “The phase we are in is delicate,” wrote the parents of Cecilia Sala, asking the Italian press for more reserve to try to avoid any slippage.
Is it wise to involve Donald Trump, as Giorgia Meloni wanted to do? Impossible to say at this stage. But, seen from Belgium, the difficult release of Olivier Vandecasteele could serve as an example, without forgetting that in addition to the freedom of Cecilia Sala, it is also the freedom of information that is at stake, a universal value to be defended at any price.
