ROME – Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has been freed from detention in Iran and is flying home, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said in a statement on Jan 8.
Ms Sala, 29, who had been working under a regular journalistic visa, was detained in Tehran on Dec 19 and held in solitary confinement in the Iranian capital’s notorious Evin prison.
She was detained for three days after an Iranian businessman, Mr Mohammad Abedini, was arrested at Milan’s Malpensa Airport on a US warrant for allegedly supplying drone parts that Washington says were used in a 2024 attack that killed three US service members in Jordan. Iran has denied involvement in the strike. The Italian statement said Ms Sala had been freed “thanks to intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels”. It made no mention of the Abedini case. A source with knowledge of the matter said Mr Abedini remained in a Milan prison.
“I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped make Cecilia’s return possible,” Ms Meloni said on X. The Italian Prime Minister is expected to greet Ms Sala in person when she lands in Rome later on Jan 8.
Ms Sala works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media. Her swift release represents a diplomatic win for Ms Meloni, who had feared the case could drag on for weeks.
The Italian leader made a surprise visit to Florida at the weekend to meet US President-elect Donald Trump. No details of the talks were released, but Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said they had discussed Ms Sala’s situation.
One Italian newspaper reported that Trump had blessed a deal to secure Ms Sala’s release, so long as it happened before his Jan 20 inauguration. Ms Meloni’s office did not comment on the report.
In recent years, Iran’s security forces have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. Iran denies this.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Jan 5 that Mr Abedini’s detention amounted to hostage-taking.