CNN
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Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has been released from an Iranian prison where she was held for several weeks and has returned to the capital.
Sarah is a reporter for the Italian daily Il Folio, and the newspaper said she arrived in Rome on Wednesday afternoon.
“Our journalist was released this morning from Tehran’s Evin Prison after 21 days of detention and landed at Ciampino (airport),” the newspaper said, along with a photo of the journalist on the runway.
Il Folio also reported that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Foreign Minister and Deputy Minister Antonio Tajani, and Sara’s parents met her at Rome’s airport.
Il Folio previously said the reporter was detained in mid-December while reporting on “The Country I Know and Love” and was held in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Early Wednesday, Meloni’s office announced that “the plane bringing journalist Cecilia Sala home took off from Tehran a few minutes ago.”
The statement added: “Thanks to diligent efforts in diplomatic and intelligence channels, our compatriots have been released by the Iranian authorities and are returning to Italy.”
Italian President Sergio Mattarella broke the news to the reporter’s parents in a phone call Wednesday morning, according to a statement.
Italian outlet Chola Media, where Sara also works, reported that she left Rome on December 12 with a valid journalist visa and the protection of journalists on assignment.
In late December, the media said, “She has conducted several interviews and produced three episodes of Chola News’ podcast Story,” and announced Sara’s arrest a few weeks later. He added that this was because his parents and the Italian authorities had initially asked him to remain silent. I hope for your speedy release.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA, citing Iran’s Ministry of Culture, reported that Salah was arrested last month on charges of “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said days after her arrest. “We are still being treated unfairly,” he said. I don’t know the charges. ”
The Iranian regime is one of the world’s most repressive regimes against press freedom, cracking down on media rights, especially after a wave of protests rocked the country in 2022.
Only four countries have a worse record on press freedom: North Korea, Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea, according to an annual count compiled by the nonprofit group Reporters Without Borders.
