Italian Journalist Flying Home From Tehran After Being Released by Iran

Sala’s arrest came three days after Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini was arrested in Milan on a U.S. warrant.

An undated image of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was freed in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 8, 2025. Chora Media/via Reuters

An Italian journalist detained in Iran last month has been released and is returning home, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Jan. 8.

Cecilia Sala, a 29-year-old journalist with the daily newspaper Il Foglio, was detained on Dec. 19, 2024, and held in Tehran’s Evin Prison.