The Italian Government is negotiating with the Iranian Government to release , known to be the place of detention of Iranian dissidents and foreign citizens. Tehran confirmed this Monday the arrest, already confirmed a few days ago by the Italian authorities, but has not offered more details about the crimes that the Italian is accused of and has limited itself to pointing out that she was arrested “for rape.” This is a generic accusation that leaves open the negotiation options through diplomatic and political channels.
that “has followed with constant attention the complex story of Cecilia Sala since the day she was detained, on December 19” and is working “to ensure that the Italian journalist returns home as soon as possible.” Meloni has also explained that he is in contact and “in agreement” with the parents of the informant and “activating all possible dialogues and with the necessary prudence, which it is expected that the Italian media will also continue to maintain.”
The Italian negotiators have asked for maximum discretion so as not to compromise the negotiation. On Sunday, the Italian ambassador to Iran, Paola Amadei, who was able to visit the journalist in Evin prison a few days ago, met with the Iranian deputy foreign minister. Although the content of the meeting is confidential, the Italian authorities have spoken of a “dialogue” meeting, which indicates that diplomatic channels are open. And they have also revealed that, in the course of the face to face, the representative of Tehran also addressed the case of the Swiss-Iranian citizen detained at the Milan airport on December 16, three days before the arrest of the Italian journalist, in application of a US arrest warrant. The man, Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, an engineer considered close to the Iranian regime, is accused – along with Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, detained in the United States – of exporting sensitive American technology to the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, considered a terrorist organization by Washington. for the manufacture of drones. The American justice system charges him with crimes of conspiracy, illicit association and violation of commercial laws that can lead to life imprisonment in the North American country. The United States has requested extradition, which a Milan court must decide in the coming weeks.
Precisely the coincidence in time of both arrests worries the Italian Government. Above all, due to the way in which Sala was detained, directly in her hotel shortly before her return to Italy and even more so considering that it was not the first time she worked in Iran, that she had always followed the strict rules that the regime of the ayatollahs imposes to report from that country and that he had a valid visa to work as a journalist.
At the moment there are no decisive elements that allow linking the two cases, but the hypothesis that the Tehran authorities are seeking an exchange with the Iranian engineer arrested in Milan is gaining more and more weight, according to local media.
The vice president of the Italian Government and Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, explained on television on Sunday night that this is “a very delicate negotiation” and that “the situation is quite complicated.” However, he assured that “the dialogue is open” and noted that the Italian negotiators “have noticed a certain will, especially with regard to the treatment of Cecilia.” As the minister has explained, the journalist is imprisoned in an isolation cell, so she is alone, apparently at the express request of the Italian authorities, who are trying to prevent her from suffering, where it is common for prisoners to endure torture. and inhuman conditions, according to numerous complaints from international organizations. “We are working to bring her home as soon as possible,” said Antonio Tajani.
During the first 24 hours, Sala remained detained without the possibility of communicating with anyone. Afterwards, the guards allowed him to make two calls, one to his family and another to his partner, fellow journalist Daniele Raineri. Sala told them that she was fine and was not injured. Although it is likely that he was reading a written text on the phone, because he used expressions that do not sound natural in Italian, and that rather seem like an automatic translation from English.
The Italian ambassador Paola Amadei was able to meet with Cecilia Sala in prison last Friday, eight days after the arrest, to check her state of health and the conditions of detention. “I have found a strong woman. Sala is a trained professional who knows Iran well,” said the ambassador, who brought clothes and some essential goods to the journalist.
The Italian lawyer of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi has requested this Monday house arrest for his detainee, who rejects the accusations against him, while waiting for the Milan court to rule on his extradition to the United States. The measure, according to the media, could facilitate negotiations.
A spokesperson for the US State Department, in statements to the Italian newspaper The Republichas demanded “the immediate and unconditional release” of , including Cecilia Sala, and has indicated that the Islamic regime must stop arbitrarily detaining foreign citizens to use them as “political leverage for blackmail.” He has also confirmed that Washington maintains the request for the extradition of the Iranian detained in Italy and has pointed out that Mohammad Abedini’s drones “serve to support terrorist groups and pro-Iranian militias that seek to destabilize” the Middle East.
The arrest of the Italian journalist could be framed within the so-called “hostage diplomacy”, frequently applied by political regimes such as Iran or also Russia or China, and diplomatic isolation. According to a recent report by the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), this practice consists of the arbitrary detention of foreign citizens to use prisoners to obtain favors or the release of Iranians detained abroad. “The practice of hostage-taking by the Islamic Republic has been one of the foundations of its foreign policy since 1979,” notes the French institute, referring to the year of the Islamic revolution that transformed Iran into a theocracy.
