Italian journalist Cecilia Sala arrived back in Rome on Wednesday after being released from the Iranian prison where she was detained for weeks. Sala, who works as a reporter for the Italian daily II Foglio, was earlier detained by Iranian authorities in Tehran for almost 21 days over charges of violating the rules of the Islamic Republic.
In a post on X, the newspaper said that Cecilia Sala landed in Ciampino after being released from Evin prison in Tehran after 21 days of detention.
Diplomatic win for Italy
According to the office of Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, the PM herself informed Sala's parents about her release. Sala was welcomed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and Sala's parents at the airport.
In a post on X, the Italian PM shared an image of her with the journalist, saying that due to intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels, the compatriot was released by the Iranian authorities.
Meloni's meeting with Trump
Earlier, Meloni undertook a visit to the US to meet US President-elect Donald Trump. She met Trump at Mar-a-Lago club. Referring to his meeting with Meloni, as "exciting", Trump said, "I'm here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy. She's really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we're just having dinner tonight." It is being speculated that the meeting with Trump boosted her international standing while the negotiations for Sala's release were still underway.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that Italy worked hard for Cecilia Sala's release and called it a "team effort" which involved Meloni and Undersecretary Mantovano.
(With ANI inputs)
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