Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who was arrested last month in Iran while on a reporting trip, was released and is on her way back to Italy on Wednesday, the Italian government said in a statement.
Ms. Sala, who had a journalist’s visa, was arrested on December 19 on charges of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but officials there did not provide further details.
“The plane carrying journalist Cecilia Sala home left Tehran a few minutes ago,” the Italian government announced on Wednesday morning, adding that “thanks to the hard work of diplomatic and intelligence agencies, our country has been freed from the Iranian authorities.”
Ms Sala, 29, was detained for 20 days and told her family that she was kept in solitary confinement, with only two blankets and constant light, her family said.
Fars, a news agency affiliated with the Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, also reported the news of Ms. Sala, quoting the Italian prime minister.
On Wednesday, Ms. Sala’s colleague, Daniele Raineri, said he called her and told her, “I’m free.”
“I’m very happy,” said Mr. Raineri as he prepares to go to the airport to greet Miss Sala. He said the wait was “terrible” but said Italy had done “an excellent job.”
It was not immediately clear how Italy received Ms Sala’s release.
He was arrested three days after Milan police arrested Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, a 38-year-old Iranian, on behalf of the United States. Mr. Abedini was blamed by the United States for providing the Revolutionary Guards with anti-aircraft weapons.
Iranian authorities said on December 25 that they expect “the Italian government to prevent the violation of the human rights of an Iranian citizen who has been unjustly accused by the United States.”
Iran routinely detains immigrants and dual nationals for visas to their countries, including in prisoner exchanges, but Iranian officials on Monday said there was no connection between Mr. Abedi and Ms. Sala’s.
On Wednesday, the lawyer of Mr. Abedini in Italy, Mr. Alfredo De Francesco, did not answer questions about Mr. Abedini’s case. He said he was happy about Ms. Sala’s release, now he has to focus on his client’s case.
Ms. Sala’s visit to Iran was the first since 2021, and since then, a lot has changed in the country. A new president had been elected, his shadow war with Israel had come to light, and Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s president and longtime ally, had just been ousted.
Ms Sala, 29, a writer and broadcaster, is determined to document the changing situation. She has interviewed freelance comedians, and photographed women in restaurants and on the streets without headscarves, posting a selection of photos on Instagram last month and describing herself as “the new face of Tehran and the new streets.”
On December 19, as he was preparing to leave the hotel for a meeting around noon, his phone was disconnected from the internet, a person close to the family said. For 24 hours, her family did not hear anything about her, until after the flight that Ms. Sala was supposed to take left without her. Then they got a call. “I was arrested,” Ms. Sala told her family. “I was not injured.
News of the arrest of Ms. They came to light a week later, on December 27, after a visit by the Italian ambassador to Iran. The arrest of Ms. Sala dominated media coverage in Italy, and President Sergio Mattarella spoke of his case in his year-end address.
Mr. Raineri said that Ms. Sala was supposed to be in Rome on Wednesday.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni called Ms Sala’s parents on Wednesday to tell them she was returning, according to a government statement.
This is a developing story.
Leily Nikounazar reporting contributed.
