Rome: Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, detained in Iran for three weeks, has been released and is on her way back to Italy, Italian officials confirmed Wednesday. Sala, 29, was detained in Tehran on December 19 after arriving on a journalist visa. The charges against her included violations of Iran’s strict laws, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Her release followed extensive diplomatic efforts involving intelligence channels, with Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office announcing that Sala had boarded a plane from Tehran. Meloni personally informed Sala’s family about her release. Iranian media acknowledged the news, citing foreign reports, but Iranian officials did not comment immediately.
Sala, a reporter for 'Il Foglio' daily, was detained just days after her arrival in Iran. Her case had become intertwined with that of Mohammad Abedini, an Iranian engineer arrested in Italy just days before Sala’s detention. Abedini is wanted by the United States on charges related to supplying drone technology to Iran, which was used in an attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan in January 2024 that killed three American troops. His detention in Italy was seen as part of a broader diplomatic negotiation.
Italian commentators speculated that Sala was being used as a bargaining chip to secure Abedini’s release, with both countries' foreign ministries demanding the release of their respective nationals.
The news of Sala’s release was met with celebrations in Italy, where her case had captured widespread attention. Lawmakers hailed the successful diplomacy that brought her home, with Meloni’s office acknowledging the role of foreign and defense ministers in the negotiations.
Italy’s involvement in securing Sala’s release highlighted the complex diplomatic relations between Italy, the U.S., and Iran. While Italy is a historic ally of Washington, it has maintained positive ties with Tehran, making the situation more intricate.
This case follows a pattern of Iran using Western nationals as leverage in negotiations. In 2023, five Americans held in Iran were released in exchange for five Iranians in U.S. custody, as well as the release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Western journalists, too, have frequently been caught in similar situations. In 2009, American journalist Roxana Saberi was detained for 100 days, and Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian was held for over 540 days before being released in 2016 in a prisoner swap between Iran and the U.S.
For now, Cecilia Sala is expected to reunite with her family and return to her work in Italy, marking the end of a diplomatic standoff that had drawn significant international attention.
With PTI inputs