In the late 19th century, the German philosopher and sociologist W.M. Wundt introduced the concept of heterogenesis of ends, describing how human actions often lead to unintended outcomes, diverting from the original goals and creating new motivations along the way. While Wundt popularized this idea, Italian thinkers like Machiavelli and Vico had already explored it long before. But rather than delve into history, let’s focus on the events of the last few days: the arrest of engineer Mohammad Abedini in Italy—detained purely out of subservience to the U.S., for a crime he did not commit here—and the subsequent arrest of Cecilia Sala, the journalist who, quite inadvertently, has become a symbol of the very heterogenesis of ends we’re talking about. We owe her a thank you, and in the following paragraphs, we’ll explain why.
To those who’ve said “She brought it on herself,” we’d remind them that such remarks are more fitting for tabloids like Libero, Il Foglio (where Cecilia writes), or Il Giornale—publications that often spew harsh judgments and remain conveniently silent when journalists are jailed for exposing uncomfortable truths. Consider the cases of Julian Assange, Giuliana Sgrena, or Enzo Baldoni, who were either captured while doing their jobs as independent reporters or tragically killed, as is disturbingly common with the illegal state of Israel. In fact, Israel doesn’t simply arrest inconvenient journalists—it kills them. To be fair, we don’t recall Cecilia ever commenting on the violations of press freedom or the murders of her colleagues documenting the massacre in Gaza. Nor do we recall her newspaper doing so, or speaking out against the torture of medical personnel and civilians, as seen in horrific images circulating on social media. Meanwhile, Ferrara, a prominent figure at Il Foglio, proudly admitted his past as a CIA operative, and just today he was attacking Pope Francis for daring to criticize Netanyahu, using blatant lies to support his claims. Of course, his article was a disgrace to professional journalism, but from someone who boasts of his spy work for the U.S., we can’t expect much. Unfortunately, he does a disservice to the detained journalist, and we, like everyone else, hope Cecilia is released swiftly.
So, why thank Cecilia? Simply put, her arrest has forced the mainstream media to acknowledge that press freedom is an inviolable right—for everyone, not just for a select few. Even Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, raised her voice, demanding Cecilia’s “immediate release” and asserting, “No one should be arrested for doing their job. Journalism is not a crime. Every journalist must have the freedom to report without fear of being arrested or persecuted. In these times of global crisis, the role of journalism is more essential than ever.”
How can we not applaud these words? But we can’t help but wonder: is it due to simple racism or cynical political convenience that such a clear and rightful statement has never been made to defend other journalists—especially the more than 200 reporters killed by Israel in recent months? As Kallas rightly says, journalism is not a crime. But killing journalists most certainly is—and that’s an even greater crime than arresting them.
This is why we thank Cecilia. Because her arrest has shaken the world. From the EU representative to the U.S. State Department, from the city of Verona to the director of MicroMega, from the most conservative press to the most progressive, from TV pundits to talk-show hosts—everyone has firmly stated that press freedom must NEVER be suppressed and that journalists must be protected. Whether they’ve forgotten their previous silence or, worse, their mockery of other less fortunate journalists, we don’t know. But what matters is that today, they’ve spoken up—and we will remember this.
From Il Giornale, we learned that at 19, Cecilia opposed the Italian government’s decision to repatriate the two famous marò convicted in India. But apparently, they’ve forgiven her because, as one of them put it, her strong opinion was simply the result of her youth. Now, though, she’s grown up and asks the government to bring her home. Even one of the marò agrees, saying, “We’re talking about a journalist who went there to do her job.”
We agree.
Some have dug into her family background, noting that she’s the daughter of a high-ranking executive at JP Morgan. Fine. But so what? Let’s avoid distractions, as our media already provide enough details—like her mother’s concern over the psychological effects of Cecilia’s detention, or the heartbreaking details of her cell, where she sleeps on a blanket with no mattress, or the fact that she hasn’t received the chocolates sent to her. These all paint a picture of inhumane detention conditions.
Certainly, Cecilia isn’t staying in a luxury hotel. But let’s show a little restraint when using adjectives, especially when the truly inhumane conditions—suffered not by one, but by two million people—are being imposed by Israel with the complicity of its allies. Neither Cecilia nor her newspaper have ever seemed to notice that.
Back to her arrest: it seems clear that Cecilia wasn’t detained for breaking Iranian law. Instead, she was arrested as a bargaining chip in a potential exchange for Swiss-Iranian engineer Abedini, who, according to ANSA, was supposedly the subject of an international arrest warrant. This is either a deliberate lie or a mistake due to ignorance. There was no international arrest warrant for Abedini—because, as much as the U.S. likes to assert its dominance globally, a U.S. arrest request is not an international warrant. To put it simply, the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant are international, and if they set foot in Italy, they should be arrested under international law.
Abedini, on the other hand, was arrested simply to please the U.S. The accusation against him is true—he’s involved in military technologies, just like hundreds of technicians and consultants working for Leonardo or any other military company worldwide. But that doesn’t justify his arrest.
With a cowardly “Yes, master,” Italy complied, not only arresting him and isolating him for days but also sending him to the notorious Rossano Calabro prison, home to ISIS terrorists. Abedini could have met a tragic fate had the Iranian embassy not intervened, securing his transfer to Milan and using Cecilia’s arrest to bolster their negotiating position.
Now, Italy’s subservient government faces a dilemma: bow once again to the U.S. and extradite Abedini, even though he’s done nothing illegal according to Italian law, while leaving Cecilia in an Iranian prison, or stand tall as the government of a sovereign state, tell the U.S., “We are allies, but not servants,” and refuse the extradition. If Italy does this, Cecilia will return home, and she’ll have a long and successful career ahead of her.
In the meantime, the Italian prime minister made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet Trump, without even informing her foreign minister or deputy. Naturally, one must wonder—since she represents Italy—what her objective was in making this trip. Cecilia’s family has asked for a media blackout, so we won’t know if her visit was part of an effort to advocate for Cecilia’s release, and whether she did so as a humble petitioner or as the head of a sovereign state.
So, thank you, Cecilia, for this too. Even though it wasn’t part of her plan, her arrest has prompted us to reflect on Italy’s subservience to the U.S. It calls to mind the words of the reformist Khatami, who, 23 years ago, said:
“The United States believes it is the master of the world and expects the world to bow to its policies.”
Sadly, Italy does just that. We’ll see in the coming days whether Italy will uphold the rights and dignity of a sovereign state, or whether it will sacrifice them to please the U.S., trading away both Cecilia’s and Abedini’s freedom, leaving Italy with the sobering realization that it is nothing more than a vassal state.
