Justice has been served after two Russian nationals were sentenced to serve out 25 years behind bars as a result of their plot to assassinate an Iranian American journalist on behalf of the Iranian government.

This court case also highlights that the United States will not tolerate this kind of conduct.

According to court records, Masih Alinejad is an Iranian who moved to America to have a “normal life” after being banned from covering Iran’s presidential election in 2009. Once in the States, she decided to use her freedom and voice to highlight the seriousness of the oppression of women in the Middle East. In one of her most public and well-known social media campaigns, she encouraged women in Iran to record themselves taking off their hair coverings in public. These videos were meant to be a small protest against the demand that women wear head coverings in public in Iran.

Her commitment to her values and spreading the truth quickly caused her to gain a lot of enemies, especially in Iran. The Iranian public, along with government officials in the country, were so offended by Alinejad’s freedom to speak that an unknown source offered up a $500,000 bounty to anyone who could successfully kill her.

Rafat Amirov, a 46-year-old Iranian native, and Polad Omarov, a 41-year-old Georgia native, were crime bosses in a Russian mob when they heard about the bounty. They worked for Gulici, a faction of a mob, which is well-known to carry out murders, extortions, kidnappings, assaults, robberies, and arsons. What’s more, Gulici is known to work internationally, going into the U.S. and other countries to intentionally commit acts of violence.

The targeted attack against Alinejad would’ve likely been successful if she had not been out of town when the hit was orchestrated.

This investigation remains open and ongoing. Prosecutors have announced additional charges against a senior Iranian military official and three other individuals who are accused of being involved in the plot to assassinate Alinejad. None of those individuals is in custody, yet.

Court documents revealed that the assassination plot wasn’t just a target for Alinejad but a clear message to millions of women around the world. While the government of Iran and other nefarious actors attempt to utilize deadly tactics to threaten and suppress disenfranchised groups, other governments around the world, most notably the United States, will support and uphold their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of justice.

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