the detained Italian journalist has been released, announces the Italian government

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 was released by the Iranian authorities and is returning to Italy »specified government services in a press release published late in the morning. “The plane repatriating journalist Cecilia Sala took off a few minutes ago”.

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“Intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels»

This liberation is the fruit “intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels”underlines the press release. The Prime Minister «Giorgia Meloni expresses its 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.

Cecilia Sala, 29, has since been in a cell in Evin prison in Tehran. The journalist works for Chora Media, a site publishing podcasts, as well as for the daily The Sheet. 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.