Assassins Sentenced to 25 Years for Plot Against Iranian Activist

Two men were sentenced to 25 years in prison for their roles in a conspiracy to assassinate Iranian-American journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad. The sentencing occurred on Wednesday at a federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, where District Judge Colleen McMahon described the crime as a “terrible, terrible crime” with severe repercussions for Alinejad and her supporters.

The defendants, Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, were convicted in March after a two-week trial in the Southern District of New York. They were found guilty of accepting a $500,000 bounty from the Iranian regime to orchestrate the murder of Alinejad outside her home in Brooklyn. Both men, members of the Gulici faction of the Russian Mob, were arrested overseas in January 2023 and extradited to the United States.

Judge McMahon emphasized the gravity of their actions, stating, “You have committed a terrible crime with terrible repercussions.” The jury took less than four hours to convict the men on all five counts, which included conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and money laundering.

Alinejad, who has been a vocal critic of the Iranian government, shared her experience during the hearing. “I crossed an ocean to America to have a normal life, and I don’t have a normal life,” she lamented. The journalist fled Iran in 2009 and became a U.S. citizen in 2019. She has survived multiple assassination attempts and has dedicated her life to exposing the Iranian regime’s actions.

On July 28, 2022, a significant break in the case occurred when New York Police Department detectives intercepted Khalid Mehdiyev, a 27-year-old man hired to carry out the assassination. He was found in possession of a fully loaded rifle, ammunition, a ski mask, and rubber gloves. Mehdiyev, also connected to the same crime syndicate, testified against Amirov and Omarov during the trial.

Prosecutors revealed that the murder order against Alinejad originated from a network of Iranians charged by U.S. authorities but not in custody. They sought to eliminate Alinejad after previous attempts to intimidate her failed. The evidence presented at trial showed that the defendants showed little concern for the gravity of their plot. Prosecutors stated, “Amirov and Omarov were interested in one thing only: their own power and wealth.”

During the sentencing, defense attorneys argued that since no one was killed, their clients’ involvement was minimal. They sought reduced sentences, with Amirov’s attorney requesting 13 years and Omarov’s attorney seeking 10 years. However, Alinejad’s husband, Kambiz Foroohar, countered this perspective, sharing the impact of the assassination attempt on their family, including being forced to sell their home and the emotional toll it took on their children.

Alinejad recounted her ongoing sense of humiliation, stating, “I am the survivor of this assassination plot, and even in this room today I felt the humiliation of my life being treated as a business transaction.” Outside the courthouse, she expressed a mix of nervousness and empowerment in facing her would-be assassins, emphasizing her commitment to truth.

Support for Alinejad was evident outside the courthouse, where Barry Rosen, a former press attaché at the U.S. embassy in Iran, voiced solidarity with those affected by the Iranian regime. “They are going to jail for 300 months and they deserve it. And the regime in Iran deserves hell on earth right now,” he stated.

Alinejad concluded her remarks with a powerful declaration, stating, “Women like freedom. The Islamic Republic is the biggest enemy of joy.” Before departing, she sang an Iranian song, translating its lyrics to convey her resilience: “I will blossom through my wounds because I am a woman, I am a woman, I am a woman.”