Wednesday, February 12 Login

A few days after the release of Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist detained in Tehran, Iran announced on Sunday January 12 the release and repatriation of an Iranian detained in Italy. “Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei announces the release of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, an Iranian citizen detained in Italy, and his return to his country”the ministry said in a statement.

“The problem has been resolved” after the ” follow up “ of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran and “negotiations” between the Iranian and Italian intelligence services, Mizan, the press organ of Iranian justice, had earlier clarified. Aged 38, Mohammad Abedini is accused by the United States of having provided sophisticated drone navigation technology to the Iranian army, in violation of American sanctions against Iran.

These components were then used in a drone strike in January on a Jordanian military base near the Syrian border that killed three American service members, according to American judicial authorities. Mr. Abedini had been held since his arrest in a Milan prison, with Iran denying the accusations and calling his detention“illegal act” which could harm relations between Rome and Tehran.

“No element” supported the accusations, according to Rome

Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio filed a request with the Milan appeals court to revoke Mr. Abedini's arrest because his alleged crimes are not punishable under Italian law or lack evidence, the Italian ministry said in a statement on Sunday, shortly before the communication from the Iranian authorities.

The gesture comes four days after the return home of Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who had been held in solitary confinement for three weeks in a Tehran prison. His release was a major diplomatic blow for far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who called it the result of a “intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels”.

Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Release of Cecilia Sala: the diplomatic coup of Giorgia Meloni

According to the Italian Ministry of Justice, under the extradition treaty between Italy and the United States, extradition can only take place if the crimes charged are punishable under the laws of each country. “The first act attributed to the Iranian citizen of criminal association with a view to violating the IEEPA [International Emergency Economic Powers Act, loi fédérale américaine qui donne au président des pouvoirs de sanction d’urgence] » does not correspond to the cases provided for and punished by the Italian penal system, mentions the ministry press release.

As for the other charges – “criminal association with a view to providing material support to a terrorist organization resulting in death” And “material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death” – the Italian ministry specifies that“no evidence has been put forward to date to support the accusations made”. He adds that the only certainty is that Mr. Abedini led “activities of production and trade of technological instruments with one’s own country” having “potential, but not exclusive, military applications”.

In its charging documents, the US government characterized the Iranian national as the founder and CEO of an Iranian company “which manufactures navigation modules used in the IRGC's military drone program [corps des gardiens de la révolution islamique] ». American authorities arrested another man, Iranian-American Mahdi Sadeghi, who allegedly worked with Mr. Abedini to ship sanctioned items to Iran. He is still incarcerated in the United States.

Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Iranian nuclear: uncertain European efforts to relaunch nuclear negotiations while waiting for Trump

The World with AFP

Reuse this content

Source: Lemonde

Share.
Leave A Reply

© 2025 Breaking News Today. All Rights Reserved.