Iran releases Italian journalist Cecilia Sala from jail

Iran has released journalist Cecilia Sala after three weeks in jail, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office says.

Meloni’s office issued a statement on Wednesday announcing Sala’s release had been secured more than three weeks after she was arrested on December 19. Tehran has denied speculation that her arrest was linked to Rome’s detainment of an Iranian businessman that the United States accuses of involvement in an attack on its military.

The announcement was met with cheers in Italy, where her plight had dominated headlines. Lawmakers hailed the successful negotiations to bring her home, illustrating the strength of the political gain for Meloni.

“I want to express gratitude to all those who contributed to making Cecilia’s return possible, allowing her to embrace her family and colleagues again,” Meloni posted on X.

She added that she had personally informed Sala’s parents of her release.

Held in solitary confinement in the Iranian capital’s notorious Evin prison, Sala, a reporter for the Il Foglio newspaper, had been working on a regular journalistic visa.

She was detained three days after Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini was arrested at Milan’s Malpensa airport on a US warrant.

The US Justice Department has accused Abedini and another Iranian of supplying drone technology to Iran that was used in a January 2024 attack on a US outpost in Jordan, killing three American soldiers.