"My crime is just giving voice to women of Iran that's it, she said. I crossed an ocean to come to America to have a normal life and I don't have a normal life, Alinejad also said, describing frequent moves between safe houses since the murder plot was foiled three years ago. I'm a brave woman. I'm a strong woman. They couldn't break me, she said moments later."
"But, they brought fear [into] my life. She urged McMahon to impose a lengthy sentence as a deterrent to Iran. This court can send a signal to the regime in Iran that they cannot hire criminals Russian mobsters again. Alinejad, who wore a deep red leather coat, patterned white-and-blue dress, black combat boots and a white flower in her hair, repeatedly turned in the direction of Amirov and Omarov."
"Alinejad described the attempted hit during her testimony at Amirov and Omarov's trial. In late July 2022, Alinejad recalled, she saw a normal-seeming man outside her home. He was walking and then he had a phone in his hand, she said during testimony. After noticing him speaking, Alinejad said What?, thinking that the man might want to talk to her."
Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov were convicted in Manhattan federal court of murder-for-hire and attempted murder in aid of racketeering and were sentenced to 25 years in prison. The plot targeted Iranian American activist, journalist and author Masih Alinejad, who has publicly criticized Tehran and advocated for women's rights. Alinejad described lingering pain, frequent moves between safe houses, and loss of normalcy after the foiled 2022 assassination attempt. She said her only crime was giving voice to Iranian women and urged a lengthy sentence to deter Iran from hiring criminals.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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