Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was released from Iran on Wednesday and is returning to Rome, is “excited and very happy,” her colleague said, while Italy is relieved to hear the release of her compatriot, which has been greeted with applause in Parliament.
“The plane taking journalist Cecilia Sala home took off from Tehran a few minutes ago. Thanks to intensive work through diplomatic and intelligence channels, our compatriot has been released by the Iranian authorities and is returning to Italy,” the Italian government announced unexpectedly just before midday.
Sala, excited and happy
Sala was “excited and very happy” and told her “I’ll see you in a little while,” explained her partner, “Il Post” journalist Daniele Rainiri, after speaking with her, who thanked “everyone” who collaborated in her release: “A great Italian job,” he wrote on his social networks.
The 29-year-old journalist's father, Renato Sala, also praised his daughter's "ability and composure" during her 20 days in prison, when "she had the impression of playing a game of chess, but there were not just two players. At one point the board was full, and this generated great fears in a father like me, who, unfortunately, does not know the moves," he told the Ansa agency.
Reactions to the young woman's release have been immediate, with displays of affection flooding social media and Parliament, where the news was greeted with applause.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who personally informed the journalist's parents by telephone, wanted to "express her gratitude to all those who have contributed to making Cecilia's return possible, allowing her to meet her family and colleagues again."
“Diplomacy and teamwork: Cecilia Sala is coming home!” tweeted Antonio Tajani, foreign minister and vice president of the government, while the other vice president, Matteo Salvini, wrote: “Cecilia Sala freed, is on her way to Italy, welcome back!”
The Italian opposition has also welcomed the announcement of the young woman's release, with the leader of the Democratic Party (PD), Elly Schlein, saying that the release is a "relief" and recognising the work of the government and diplomats who "have worked tirelessly" during "20 days of worry and anguish".
Former Prime Minister and leader of the centrist Italia Viva party, Matteo Renzi, said that “today is a day of celebration for all of Italy”, while the leader of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, highlighted “good news after days of tension” and offered his recognition “from the government, diplomacy, to the services that made this result possible”.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto acknowledged the “enormous work of Giorgia Meloni first of all and of the entire Italian team: Tajani, Mantovano, Palazzo Chigi, the Farnesina, our security services and all those who could have been of help.”
The role of intelligence services
According to the few details that have been released to the media so far regarding the release, it is known that The director of the Foreign Intelligence and Security Agency (AISE), Giovanni Caravelli, has personally travelled to Tehran to pick up Sala and is now travelling on the plane taking the journalist back home.
The work of the secret services is praised by parties across the Italian parliamentary spectrum, despite the announced resignation of its head, Elisabetta Belloni, in the midst of negotiations for Sala's release. had raised suspicions about possible differences within Italian intelligence.
There was also speculation that the journalist's release could be part of an exchange following the arrest in Italy of an Iranian engineer for whom the US is seeking extradition for providing drone components to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard., although this does not seem to have been the case in the end.
Milan prosecutors said on Wednesday that there was “no news at the moment” on the case, “only great satisfaction” at the journalist’s release, although it did not forget that Meloni made a lightning trip to the US last weekend to speak with the president-elect, Donald Trump, with the Sala case as the main topic.
Something the note does not clarify: Why was the journalist detained in Iran?