-Analysis-
ROME — The release of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala after 21 harrowing days in Iranian prison is cause for serious heartfelt relief and joy. There is also much still to understand about how her liberation came about, but already we know that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was integral to the success of a complex operation to obtain her freedom.
Those who know Sala, 29, who works for the Il Foglio and Chora Media outlets, are well aware of her commitment to taking on dangerous assignments abroad with the highest degree of professionalism and caution. These qualities made her arrest while assignment in Iran, and subsequent detention under inhumane conditions, all the more unjust.
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Accounts from individuals who have endured the same fate as Sala offered little hope for a swift resolution. The possibility of an exchange involving Sala and Iranian technician Mohammad Abedini — arrested last month at Milan’s Malpensa airport at the request of the United States for allegedly orchestrating a drone-related technical-military smuggling operation — was neither straightforward nor easily achievable, despite being the focus of negotiations.
Tehran’s behavior throughout, initially asserting the possibility of a swap and then denying it (falsely, of course) underscored the challenges of reaching a resolution.
But from a political perspective, Sala’s return marks a significant success for Giorgia Meloni, both politically and personally. This achievement would not have been possible had the Prime Minister not decided, mid-last week, to take charge of the situation directly.
Trump’s green light
Just after managing to orchestrate an unexpected meeting with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence (possibly with assistance from her friend Elon Musk) Meloni had the audacity to request Trump’s personal and immediate humanitarian intervention, appealing to him to set aside any political considerations regarding relations with Iran.
If she had not taken this bold step, Sala would not have returned to Italy on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister’s approach represents a departure from traditional diplomatic norms.
Meloni must have been persuasive during those hours at Trump’s Florida estate. Between previewing a documentary on his fixation with the “rigged” 2020 elections, observing meetings with future members of his administration, exchanging greetings, and introductions, she managed to carve out a moment for a one-on-one discussion. It was then, with the characteristic directness that defines her, that Meloni essentially told the former President: “Donald, I need you to let me handle this.”
In this context, “handling it” referred to directly negotiating the possible exchange (though not necessarily simultaneous) of the Iranian detainee in Italy for the journalist imprisoned in Evin’s notorious prison.
Urgency matters
With Trump’s assent secured, an approval that would have been far harder to obtain once he formally assumes the presidency and faces a deluge of pressing matters, Meloni immediately returned to Italy without a pause to rest. She then took direct command of the operation. Within two days, leveraging Italy’s traditionally strong diplomatic channels with Iran, a resolution was found.
The Prime Minister’s approach represents a departure from traditional diplomatic norms. It establishes a new method of international and personal relations based on trust, leveraging influential allies like Musk (whose involvement was unlikely to have been entirely altruistic) and bypassing conventional mediation channels.
Above all, it highlights the importance of urgency: which sometimes raises risks, but in this case became essential, given that the life of a young journalist was at stake. Sala had been reduced to a bargaining chip, languishing in a windowless, bedless cell without a bathroom, forced to choose between using the single blanket to shield herself from the cold or placing it on the filthy, cockroach-infested floor as minimal protection.
Do or die
Some critics, predictably, argue that Meloni chose to personalize and publicize the case to take sole credit for Sala’s release. This view holds that such a sensitive matter might have benefited from a quieter approach. However, given the circumstances (the Iranians were unlikely to jeopardize Sala’s life, but they were nonetheless subjecting her and her family to immense strain), the Prime Minister opted for a “do-or-die” approach.
Consider the chaotic backdrop against which Meloni acted. For example, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, typically a cautious figure, prematurely declared, “Cecilia is fine,” even as Sala, in rare phone calls to her family, was describing the appalling conditions she endured and pleading for urgency.
Had tragedy not loomed so closely, the handling of this case could have bordered on farce.
Amid this turmoil came the resignation of Elisabetta Belloni, head of DIS, the Italian secret services coordination body. A seasoned diplomat who previously led the foreign ministry’s crisis unit during the long negotiations for the release of the marines detained in India, Belloni stepped down in protest. She felt excluded from the handling of the crisis, clashing with Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano and intelligence chiefs who bypassed her. With her resignation, one could also detect subtle disapproval of the Prime Minister’s approach.
Adding to the confusion, the opposition demanded parliamentary involvement and transparency in a situation that required utmost discretion. The compromise was a meeting of Copasir, the parliamentary oversight committee for intelligence, a body sworn to secrecy. Yet even from this forum emerged conflicting and contradictory accounts.
Had tragedy not loomed so closely, the handling of this case could have bordered on farce. That is, until Meloni stepped in and took control.
