Rome [Italy], January 9 (ANI): Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has landed back in Rome after being freed from an Iranian prison where she had been detained for weeks. Sala works as a reporter for the Italian daily II Foglio, which announced that the journalist arrived in Rome on Wednesday, CNN reported.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the newspaper wrote, “Our journalist landed in Ciampino (airport) after being released this morning from Evin prison in Tehran after 21 days of detention.” It also shared a picture of Cecilia Sala on the runway.
Sala was held in Tehran’s Evin prison after being detained in mid-December while covering “a country she knows and loves,” CNN reported, citing Il Foglio.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Foreign Minister and Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Sala’s parents welcomed her at the Roman airport. Meloni took to social media platform X to share an image with the journalist after she arrived in Rome.
Bentornata Cecilia! pic.twitter.com/iKKjegeS38
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) January 8, 2025
Antonio Tajani said that they worked hard for the release of Cecilia Sala and called it a “team effort” which involved Meloni and Undersecretary Mantovano.
In a post shared on X, Tajani stated, “We worked hard, in silence and under the radar. We went forward with courage, even suffering unfair criticism, but always with the goal of bringing Cecilia home. It was a team effort, starting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, to the Undersecretary Mantovano, with diplomacy and intelligence. Proud of this result. For Italy, for all the compatriots we represent, we have written a beautiful page.”
Abbiamo lavorato tanto, in silenzio e sotto traccia. Siamo andati avanti con coraggio, subendo anche critiche ingiuste, ma sempre con l’obiettivo di riportare a casa Cecilia. È stato un lavoro di squadra, a cominciare dal Presidente del Consiglio Giorgia Meloni, al… pic.twitter.com/kPY5EDKd7e
— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) January 8, 2025
Earlier on Wednesday, Meloni’s office announced, “The plane that is bringing journalist Cecilia Sala home took off a few minutes ago from Tehran.” The statement further said, “Thanks to intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels, our compatriot has been released by the Iranian authorities and is returning to Italy,
Italian President Sergio Mattarella informed the journalist’s parents about her homecoming during a phone call on Wednesday morning, according to the statement. The Italian outlet Chora Media, for which Sala also works, said that she had left Rome on December 12 “with a valid journalistic visa and the protections of a journalist on assignment,” the report said.
In December, the media outlet said that she conducted several interviews and produced three episodes of the Stories podcast for Chora News. It further said that it was announcing Sala’s detention weeks later as her parents and Italian authorities had initially asked it to remain silent, hoping for a swift release.
Earlier in December, the Iranian Ministry of Culture said that Cecilia Sala was arrested after “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” CNN reported, citing IRNA. Several days after her detention, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said “We still don’t know the charges.” (ANI)
