Cecilia Sala Says She Was Interrogated for 10 Hours Daily in Iranian Prison

Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who was released from Iran on January 8 after about three weeks of detention, says she expected to stay in prison longer, and her boyfriend's contact with Elon Musk likely played a decisive role in her swift release. In her first television interview after returning to Italy on January 21, Sala referred to the negotiations among Iran, Italy, and the United States that led to her freedom and described the interrogation conditions as harsh. The Italian journalist was detained in Tehran at the request of the U.S. government shortly after the arrest of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, a Swiss-Iranian businessman accused of circumventing U.S. sanctions against Iran, at Milan airport. Following negotiations between the three countries, which Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as "triangular diplomacy," Cecilia Sala was released in Iran, and three days later, Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi was freed in Italy. Sala mentioned that her boyfriend contacted Andrea Stroppa, Musk's representative in Italy, after seeing media reports about Musk's meeting with the Iranian ambassador to the UN. In part of her interview with the Italian television program "How's the Weather," Sala added, "This case involved all three countries: Iran, Italy, and the U.S., and Elon Musk became a key figure in this matter. The only response that Musk's representative gave to my boyfriend was that he was aware of the situation." After Sala's release, Elon Musk tweeted that he played a "small role" in her freedom. Musk then referred to a New York Times report about his role, stating, "I had no contact with Iran. I only recommended U.S. government support." During her detention, Cecilia Sala had no access to news and, considering the fate of other Western citizens detained in Iran, thought she would remain in prison longer. Additionally, she was concerned that the return of Donald Trump to the White House would escalate tensions with Iran and prolong her imprisonment. Sala further stated in another part of her interview on January 21, "If Donald Trump had publicly mentioned retaliatory actions against Iran, my situation would have become very complicated. I was sure I would stay in prison for a long time because the imprisonment periods of all other foreign citizens were very long." After Cecilia Sala's exit from Iran, Italy released Mohammad Abedini. Sala reported being held in solitary confinement, having her glasses and contact lenses taken away. She was interrogated multiple times while blindfolded, with daily interrogations lasting 10 hours. She added that the interrogator was fluent in English and had extensive knowledge about Italy. Sala requested an English version of the Quran, which was denied. She noted, "The neon lights were on 24 hours a day. Under those conditions, and after days of not speaking, you gradually lose confidence in your mind. You no longer trust your memory, and even answering the interrogator's questions becomes a difficult psychological game." Cecilia Sala mentioned that now, after her release and return home, she experiences moments of anxiety and distress but will gradually learn to control these mental states.