The Office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Wednesday the release of Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who had been imprisoned in Iran.
The Italian government has emphasized that Sala’s release was achieved through “extensive efforts” involving diplomatic and intelligence channels.
This development comes after a tense period marked by her detention in Iran, where she had been held for nearly three weeks under unclear circumstances.
Sala, a 29-year-old Italian journalist, was arrested in Iran on December 19, 2024, shortly after arriving in the country on a journalist’s visa. The Iranian government confirmed that Sala was detained for “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic,” although specific details regarding the nature of these violations were not disclosed.
The Iranian Culture Ministry oversees foreign journalists and has stringent regulations governing their activities within the country.
