Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed an ongoing investigation into Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, arrested on 19 December in Tehran.
“The Italian journalist was arrested for violating the laws of the Islamic Republic,” stated the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei added, “Details of the case will be announced by judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir.”
Baghaei urged Italy to avoid letting its relations with Iran be influenced by the United States. This remark followed Washington’s request for Italy to extradite Iranian engineer Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, arrested at Malpensa airport on 16 December for allegedly exporting sensitive US technology to Iran.
Developments in Abedini Extradition Case
The Milan Court of Appeal has scheduled a 15 January hearing to review Abedini’s lawyer’s request for house arrest. The Attorney General opposes the request, citing insufficient safeguards against flight risk, as the proposed location is an Iranian Consulate-owned apartment. Abedini would also be without an electronic bracelet.
The Attorney General referred to a previous case where Russian businessman Artem Uss escaped from house arrest before his extradition. Abedini, currently held in Opera prison, denies the charges against him.
By late January, US authorities in Boston are expected to provide documentation on the case. There, a parallel case is being heard against an alleged accomplice, 38-year-old, Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, also Iranian but naturalised American. The Milan Court will then evaluate the extradition request and verify the conditions for handing over Abedini to US authorities.
Ultimately, Italy’s Justice Minister retains the authority to approve or deny the extradition based on government input.
