Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, arrested on December 19 in Iran for having “violated the laws” of the Islamic Republic, has been released and is being repatriated, the Italian government announced on Wednesday.
“Our compatriot has been released by the Iranian authorities and is returning to Italy,” government services said in a statement. “The plane repatriating journalist Cecilia Sala took off a few minutes ago.”
This release is the result of “intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels”, underlines the press release. Prime Minister “Giorgia Meloni expresses her gratitude to all those who contributed to making Cecilia’s return possible, allowing her to reunite with her family and colleagues.”
The journalist was arrested in Tehran during a professional stay on a journalistic visa, but the Iranian authorities have never communicated the precise reasons for this arrest. The 29-year-old Italian has since been in a cell in Evin prison in Tehran. She works for Chora Media, a site publishing podcasts, as well as for the daily newspaper Il Foglio.
>> Read also: Rome denounces the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in Iran
At the beginning of January, the head of Italian diplomacy Antonio Tajani summoned the Iranian ambassador, demanding the “immediate release” of the journalist. Italy had also demanded for the detainee “treatment respectful of human dignity”, while according to the Italian press, she was in solitary confinement, forced to sleep on the floor, and had been deprived of her glasses. The Italian ambassador to Iran had in turn been summoned by Tehran.
A bargaining chip in negotiations
The young woman, who was initially due to return to Italy on December 20, was arrested a few days after the arrests in the United States and Italy of two Iranians suspected by the American justice system of transferring sensitive technologies.
According to the US Department of Justice, these components were used during a drone attack in Jordan which cost the lives of three US soldiers in January 2024. Iran has denied any involvement and blasted “baseless” allegations.
Tehran, however, rejected on Monday any “link” between the arrest of Cecilia Sala and that of the two Iranians. Iran detains several Western or dual nationals. The Islamic Republic is accused by its supporters and NGOs of using it as a bargaining chip in state-to-state negotiations.
On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot estimated that the situation of the “French hostages in Iran”, three in number, “had deteriorated” since the election of Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian last summer. .
>> Read also: Reformer Massoud Pezeshkian wins Iranian presidential election
ostolu with agencies
