An Italian journalist held in solitary confinement for three weeks in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison has been freed.
Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested in the city on 19th December despite holding a valid press visa. She’d arrived in Iran the previous week, having covered anti-government protests earlier in the year.
Iran later confirmed that Ms Sala had been arrested for “violating the law of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, but provided no further details. The day before her arrest she’d released a podcast featuring an interview with Zeynab Mousavi, a stand-up comedian imprisoned for criticising the regime’s mandatory hijab laws.
Iran is ranked 176th out of 180 nations on the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.
Ms Sala was greeted at Rome’s Ciampino airport by Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister. She also messaged the podcasting company where she works, “Ciao, I am back”, prompting applause and tears of relief from colleagues.
Ms Sala’s imprisonment had dominated the headlines in Italy and her release was hailed as a triumph for Ms Meloni, who praised the “intense” work done by Italian diplomats and intelligence services to free her.
There is, however, much speculation that the release was in exchange for Italy agreeing to free a Swiss-Iranian engineer accused of terrorism.
Three days before Ms Sala was jailed, the Italian authorities arrested Mohammad Abedini at Milan airport. Abedini is wanted by the US over allegations that he supplied components for Iranian drones, including the one that killed three US soldiers in Jordan last year.
Last Saturday, Ms Meloni paid a surprise visit to Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where many analysts believe they discussed Ms Sala’s case. Ahmad Rafat, an Italian-Iranian journalist based in Britain, said: “I have been told by an Italian political source Trump agreed not to protest – once he is in office – if Italy releases Abedini in return for Iran freeing Sala.”
The Italian TV channel La7 also quoted sources close to Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, claiming that Abedini would be freed and not sent to the United States, despite being detained on a US extradition warrant.
Certainly, the US is no stranger to such deals with Tehran. Five Americans held for years in Iran were swapped in September 2023 for five Iranians held in US custody. Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian spent 544 days in Evin prison on false espionage charges before being released in 2016 in a prisoner swap.
Reporters Without Borders welcomed Ms Sala’s safe return – adding: “Now the 25 journalists still held in Iranian prisons must also be released.”
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