They had denied it, but it was true. The Italian Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, who had denied the news this week, finally asked this Sunday annulment of arrest of the Iranian engineer Mohammad Abedini Najafabadiimprisoned since December in Italy for a US international arrest warrant. The Italian justice system has publicly announced the decision, which has led to the immediate release of Abedini, who would already be on his way to Iran.
In this way, just four days later, Abedini embarks on the same path as the Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, but in the opposite direction. In fact, the informant, who was imprisoned in Iran since December, she was released by Iran on January 8, which suggests that in this way another chapter of the so-called ‘hostage diplomacy’. The possibility that Iran had captured the young woman was, in fact, seen at all times – and despite denials from both Iran and Italy – as a strategy of the Asian country to negotiate the release of Abedini, to the that at first the US was strongly opposed; country that had even already submitted an extradition request.
Legal endorsement
The reason for this is that, in principle, the accusations of the US against the Iranian engineer were quite graves. According to Washington’s version, in fact, Abedini had contributed to the manufacture of drones that were also used in an attack that put end to the lives of three soldiers Americans in Jordan. However, the fact that the Iranian had not committed any crime in Italy and the fact that was not fulfilled the legal principle of reciprocity between Italian and American legislation (an essential principle in extraditions), made Rome finally opt for the release of the Iranian, explained the transalpine authorities.
“The first crime attributed to the Iranian citizen, ‘criminal association to violate the IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act)’, does not find reciprocity in the italian penal code“, they wrote in a written note. “As for the second and third crime, respectively of ‘criminal association to provide material support to a terrorist organization resulting in death” and “supply and attempted supply of material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death”, no element has been provided to date to substantiate the accusations”, but “only” evidence that would support the fact that Abedini “has carried out, through companies linked to him, production and trade with your own country of technological instruments with potential, but not exclusive, military applications,” they added.
Express release
With this argument as a basis, Rome opted for an express release. So much so that the Italian Minister of Justice Nordio decided (an alternative supported by Italian law) not to wait for the verdict of the Milanese judges in charge of the Abedini case and to rule on the immediate freedom from the Iranian. The decision has been welcomed “with appreciation” by Tehransaid Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The Italian decision also comes after last week the country’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, first met personally with the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trumpand later had a telephone conversation with the outgoing president of the country, Joe Biden. What has been interpreted as a strategy by the Italian to calm the waters with one of its great international allies. The question, in this sense, is whether this has really happened.
