Introduction to the Case
Two purported Russian mobsters were each sentenced to 25 years behind bars Wednesday for hiring a hitman to kill Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad at her Brooklyn home three years ago on behalf of the Iranian government.
The Sentencing
“I crossed an ocean to come to America and have a normal life and I don’t have a normal life,” Alinejad said just before Judge Colleen McMahon announced the sentences in Manhattan federal court for Rafat Amirov, 46, and Polad Omarov, 41.
“I’m a brave woman. I’m a strong woman. They couldn’t break me. But they brought fear to my life. These criminals turned my life upside down,” Alinejad said as she spoke at a lectern near the men, who sat in prison uniforms with their hands folded before them.
The Crime
McMahon said the men had committed a “terrible, terrible crime.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Lockard had urged McMahon to dispense 55-year prison terms to the men. He said they were willing to carry out the desires of Iran to silence Alinejad, who has an online following of millions of people, more than the supreme leader of Iran.
Lockard said the intended target of the assassination plot was not just Alinejad, “but those millions of people who look to Masih Alinejad to be their voice, to promote their cause and to shine a light on the corrupt and deadly tactics of the government of Iran.”
The Perpetrators
Prosecutors said Amirov, of Iran, and Omarov, of Georgia, were crime bosses in the Russian mob. Attorney Michael Martin, representing Amirov, said he should not spend more than 13 years behind bars. “Punishing Mr. Amirov harshly will not ultimately send a message to Iran. He does not share their ideology,” he said.
Omarov’s lawyer, Elena Fast, said her client should not serve more than 10 years behind bars.
The Trial and Investigation
The men were convicted in a two-week March trial that featured dramatic testimony from a hired gunman and Alinejad, an author, activist and contributor to Voice of America. Prosecutors said the men were high-ranking members of the Gulici, a faction of the Russian Mob that carried out murders, assaults, extortions, kidnappings, robberies and arsons in the United States and abroad.
Alinejad, 49, has led online campaigns encouraging women in Iran to record videos of themselves exposing their hair to protest edicts that demand head coverings in public.
The Plot
Prosecutors said Iranian intelligence officials first plotted in 2020 and 2021 to kidnap Alinejad in the U.S. and move her to Iran to silence her criticism. Iran offered $500,000 in a July 2022 attempt to kill Alinejad after efforts to harass, smear and intimidate her failed, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said the plot “came chillingly near success,” interrupted only by the luck that Alinejad was out of town while a hired gunman tried persistently to locate her and because of the “diligence and tenacity of American law enforcement, which detected and disrupted the plot in time.”
Aftermath
Omarov was extradited to the U.S. in February 2024, a year after he was detained in the Czech Republic. Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, whom prosecutors said were crime bosses in the Russian mob, were convicted in a murder-for-hire scheme that prosecutors said was financed by the Iranian government.
Alinejad testified at the March trial that she came to the United States in 2009 after she was banned from covering Iran’s disputed presidential election and the newspaper where she worked was shut down.
Conclusion
The sentencing of Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov marks a significant step in the pursuit of justice for Masih Alinejad and the millions of people she represents. The case highlights the ongoing threats faced by journalists and activists who dare to speak out against oppressive regimes.
FAQs
Q: Who were the two men sentenced to 25 years in prison?
A: Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, two purported Russian mobsters.
Q: What was the reason for the sentencing?
A: They were convicted of hiring a hitman to kill Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad on behalf of the Iranian government.
Q: What is Masih Alinejad known for?
A: She is an author, activist, and contributor to Voice of America, and has led online campaigns encouraging women in Iran to record videos of themselves exposing their hair to protest edicts that demand head coverings in public.
Q: What is the status of the investigation?
A: The investigation is ongoing, with prosecutors announcing charges against a senior Iranian military official and three others in October 2024.
