Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist, has been released from Iranian custody and is en route to Rome

After diplomatic efforts, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has been liberated from Iranian detention and is returning to Rome.

According to the Italian government, an Italian journalist who was apprehended in Iran last month has been released and is presently en route to Rome.

On December 19, Cecilia Sala was apprehended by Italian authorities in Milan, mere days after an Iranian engineer was apprehended on suspicion of providing drone technology associated with the fatalities of US soldiers.

Sala was reportedly detained in solitary confinement at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, according to reports. Despite the fact that officials from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office have attributed her release to rigorous diplomatic and intelligence efforts, the circumstances surrounding her release remain ambiguous. Meloni conveyed her appreciation to “all those who made Cecilia’s return possible” in an official statement and acknowledged that she had personally informed Sala’s parents of the development. 

The Ansa news agency reported that Sala’s flight had departed Tehran and was scheduled to arrive in Rome at 15:30 local time (14:30 GMT) on Wednesday. 

Since her employer, Chora Media, disclosed her arrest on December 27, Sala’s detention had incited widespread indignation in Italy and dominated the news. The case is alleged to have been personally handled by Meloni, who subsequently discussed it with US President-elect Donald Trump during a meeting that occurred over the weekend. Later this week, it is anticipated that the outgoing President, Joe Biden, will visit Rome.

At first, Iran claimed that Sala had been apprehended for “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic.” Nevertheless, US State Department officials hypothesized that her detention may be associated with the arrest of Mohammad Abedini, an Iranian national who was apprehended at Milan’s Malpensa Airport on December 16th pursuant to a US warrant. Sala’s detention may have been motivated by political leverage, according to a government official.

Abedini is scheduled to appear in court in Milan on January 15, despite Iranian officials’ recent efforts to minimize any correlation between the two cases.

According to reports, Giovanni Caravelli, the director of Italy’s foreign intelligence service, personally traveled to Tehran to facilitate Sala’s return.