“TOlook up and see the sky.” A simple, almost banal gesture, which for Cecilia Sala took on a profoundly different meaning, after twenty-one days of detention in Evin prison, in Iran. The young Italian journalist, released on Wednesday and finally returned to her family, in her first post on Instagram after her release, dedicated a thought to those who cannot yet see that sky.
Cecilia Sala and risk awareness
But it’s in his “Stories” podcast for Chora Media that the journalist tells her story in more detail, with a voice that still trembles every now and then. Cecilia Sala was not naive: «Iran was the country I most wanted to return to» he explains, and he had clearly assessed the risk of possible arrest before leaving. But she had informed herself: «I asked many people from there for advice», says the journalist, and furthermore, many other international newspapers were present in the country. “CNN was there, Paris Match,” he recalls, describing what seemed like a moment of détente. Which had reassured her somewhat.
The moment of arrest and isolation
Room he then shared the details of his detention with extraordinary claritywhich began with a simple knock on the door of his hotel room. “I thought it was cleaning,” he says, describing the beginning of what would become a three-week nightmare. Everyday life in Evin prison has turned into an exercise in mental resistance.
Cecilia Sala in the car as soon as she arrived in Italy after the liberation (ANSA/FABIO FRUSTACI)
Life in a cell: between deprivation and resistance
Deprived of glasses, books, even a simple pen, objects considered potential “weapons”, Sala found comfort in the most insignificant details: counting the hours, fingers, reading the ingredients of the bread, only text available in English. «I asked for the Koran in English – he reveals – but that too was denied to me for a long time». The nights on the cold floorwithout a mattress, were perhaps the hardest test. The daily interrogations of the first two weeks followed one another without ever a clear accusation: «Many illicit things in many different places» this is the vague response of his captors.
The thoughts of Mohammad Abedini
During detention, thoughts often went to Mohammad Abedinithe 38-year-old engineer arrested on December 16, three days before Cecilia Sala, by the Italian police on a US arrest warrant on charges of violating international sanctions and importing military technology into Iran. He had read about the arrest before his arrest: «I thought there might be an intent to use me – Sala confesses – If he hadn’t been arrested maybe I would have gone home.” A thought that accompanied her during the two weeks of daily interrogations.
Liberation and guilt
But it is in the story of her liberation that all of Cecilia’s humanity emerges. On the morning of January 8th, at 9am, the news: “I thought it was a trick,” he admits. But when the release was effective, her first thought went to her cellmate that he would have left alone. “The guilt of the lucky ones”, she defines it herself, describing her release with almost a sense of injustice towards those who still remain behind those walls.
Thinking of those who remain
The thoughts go to Zeinab Mousavithe famous Iranian comedian whom Sala had interviewed shortly before the arrest, now also in isolation in Evin.
It is precisely the memory of that conversation who helped her in the darkest moments of her detention: «I never thought I would be freed so soon», confesses Sala, who now looks to the future with a mix of gratitude and awareness. A strong and intense story, his, which it’s not just a personal chronicle, but a powerful reminder of the importance of press freedom and human rightsissues for which Cecilia Sala has always fought and will continue to fight.
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