Two men, Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, have been convicted of murder-for-hire as part of an Iranian government plot to silence journalist Masih Alinejad in the United States. Alinejad had been critical of Iran’s treatment of women and human rights. The indictment included charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and other related offenses. Alinejad responded to the verdict by stating that the Iranian regime was being held accountable for bringing terror to U.S. soil. The defendants subcontracted the murder assignment to another individual, Khalid Mehdiyev, who was arrested near Alinejad’s home with an assault rifle, ammunition, and cash in his possession. Mehdiyev later pleaded guilty and cooperated with the prosecution. The FBI and Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the convictions, denouncing Iran’s attempts at threatening and harming American citizens. Alinejad had come to the U.S. after being banished from Iran for her coverage of political corruption and election disputes. She launched a social media campaign encouraging Iranian women to remove their hijabs in public. Amirov and Omarov face the possibility of life in prison at their sentencing. President Trump had previously ordered Voice of America, where Alinejad was affiliated, to operate at a minimum capacity under law.
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