Rome, Jan 8, (dpa/GNA) – Italian journalist, Cecilia Sala, who was detained in Iran nearly three weeks ago, was released by Iranian authorities on Wednesday and has returned to Italy.
The 29-year-old was flown back to Rome on an Italian Air Force plane. Family and friends were waiting for Sala at Ciampino Airport. There were tears and applause.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was also present. The case had put a huge strain on relations between Italy and Iran. Behind the scenes, the United States was also involved in the negotiations.
The Italian government did not initially comment on the circumstances of Sala’s release.
Sala, who works for Italian daily Il Foglio and runs a well-known podcast, was arrested in the Iranian capital on December 19 – one day before she was due to fly home – on accusations of violating the country’s media laws.
She reportedly had a regular work visa for journalists.
The 29-year-old reporter was held in solitary confinement at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
Italian media reported that in the few phone calls she was allowed to make, Sala complained to relatives about the conditions she was kept in, including being forced to sleep on the floor without a mattress and under a light that never went out. Her glasses were also said to have been taken away.
Meloni said she had personally informed Sala’s parents of the news of her release in a phone call.
Sala’s partner, Daniele Raineri, who also works as a journalist, said he had spoken to her on the phone immediately after her release. “She was excited and very happy. I told her: ‘See you in Rome,'” he said.
Meloni gave no details on what led to the reporter’s release, but praised the “intense work” of diplomats and intelligence officers.
Sala’s plight sparked a diplomatic row between Rome and Tehran, with top European Union officials in Brussels also weighing in to offer their condemnation.
The case was the subject of a quick visit by Meloni to incoming US president, Donald Trump, in Florida last weekend.
There had been speculation that Sala was being held hostage by Iran, to prevent the extradition of an Iranian arrested in Italy to the United States.
The man, who also has Swiss citizenship, is accused of supplying parts for drones that were used to kill three US soldiers in Jordan in January 2023. Tehran vehemently rejected such accusations.
A court in Milan is due to decide next week whether the man is to be extradited to the US.
Sala’s father, Renato Sala, hinted that the negotiations had been difficult. “I had the impression that it was like a game of chess, but with more than two players,” he said.
“At some point, the chessboard was overcrowded. For a parent like me, who didn’t know the moves, that caused a lot of anxiety,” he added.
Renato Sala expressly thanked Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani for his work.
Prime minister posts welcome message
Meloni shared a photo of herself and Sala to the platform X shortly after her arrival in Rome. “Welcome back, Cecilia!” Meloni wrote.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, Meloni reportedly told Sala on arrival: “I’m here to thank you and to tell you that you were strong.”
Sala herself sent a voice message to her podcast colleagues from the airport: “Ciao, I’m back!”
GNA