Journalist had been imprisoned in Tehran for three weeks.

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has been released from prison in Iran and is on a flight back to Italy, prime minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Wednesday morning.

The 29-year-old reporter, who works for Il Foglio newspaper and podcast company Chora Media, was detained in Tehran on 19 December, the day before she was due to fly home.

She has spent the last three weeks imprisoned in solitary confinement in Tehran's infamous Evin jail.

Meloni said Sala's release was the result of "intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels", adding that she had informed the journalist's parents personally by telephone.

È in volo l'aereo che riporta a casa Cecilia Sala da Teheran.
Grazie a un intenso lavoro sui canali diplomatici e di intelligence, la nostra connazionale è stata rilasciata dalle autorità iraniane e sta rientrando in Italia. Ho informato personalmente i genitori della giornalista…— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) January 8, 2025

"I want to express gratitude to all those who contributed to making Cecilia's return possible, allowing her to embrace her family and colleagues again", Meloni said.

Sala, who travelled to Iran on a journalist visa, is expected to arrive in Rome's Ciampino airport at around 16.30 on Wednesday afternoon.

Photo credit: GIO_LE / Shutterstock.com.