The attorney representing Iranian
engineer Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, who was arrested by
Italian authorities on a US warrant on December 16, three days
before Italian journalist Cecilia Sala's detention in Tehran,
said Friday that his client was relieved to hear the reporter
has been released and is back home.
"He heard about Cecilia Sala's release, he is satisfied in this
regard, concerned by his situation but relieved not to be
connected to her situation anymore", said Abedini's defence
lawyer Alfredo De Francesco.
"He made me understand that he will not be held responsible
anymore for Cecilia's suffering", noted De Francesco.
The attorney went on to say that a connection between the two
cases had to be ruled out now that Sala was back home.
"If someone could think there was a connection, today it's not
possible to consider it anymore", he noted.
The 38-year-old engineer, who is accused of exporting drone
parts used to kill three US servicemen in Jordan a year ago, is
in a Milan jail awaiting a house arrest hearing on January 15.
Sala, 29, a freelance reporter for Il Foglio newspaper and a
podcaster at Chora News, returned to Italy Wednesday after being
released by Iran.
Tehran has denied that it imprisoned Sala to pressure Italy into
releasing Abedini.
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