Iranian Regime Plotted to Kidnap Women's Right's Activist Masih Alinejad

In the year 2009, Iranian Women's Rights Activist Masih Alinejad fled from her home in Iran to escape imprisonment and possible execution at the hands of the brutal Iranian regime.  She would later receive asylum in America and be granted U.S. citizenship, where she continues to work for the liberation of the Iranian women in her home country.  However, Iran is notorious for silencing dissidents, even if they flee to nations abroad, and Masih Alinejad is no exception.  

In July of this year, the FBI revealed to Masih that Iranian agents have been following in New York, documenting her every move, and plotting to kidnap her and bring her back to Iran to be put on trial for treason.  The FBI revealed that the agents had been photographing her friends & family, even her stepson, and that they have even gone as far as to study maritime routes to use to smuggle her out of the country.  According to the FBI, the Iranian Regime tried to pay Masih's relatives in Iran to convince her to fly to Turkey to visit them, from there, they planned to kidnap her.  This is a very serious threat, and it cannot simply be ignored.  In 2009, Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam also fled the country.  After being granted ansylum in France, Ruhollah published numerous articles denouncing the Iranian regime.  In 2018, Ruhollah was lured to Iraq by Iranian agent to report on the ongoing conflict.  From there, he was kidnapped, flown taken back to Iran, and executed after a show trial.  

Alinejad with U.S. National Security 
Advisor Jake Sullivan

Masih was deeply shaken by this revelation, stating: "The reason many dissident journalists, activists, women, they leave Iran to be safe. So I came here in New York to feel safe because I wanted to do my job. I'm a journalist and an activist. I'm not a criminal. I'm giving voice to the voiceless people. Well, one day I see the FBI saying that the intelligence service hired a private investigator. They're taking photos of your private life. They're filming your movements and they want to see where you are. They're going to kidnap you."  Alinejad is not the only American to be targeted by the Iranian regime.  Since 1979, dozens of American citizens with dual nationality have been arrested in Iran or its proxy in Lebanon.  

Sadly, the Iranian Regime has not only continually threatened Masih, they have also threatened her parents and relatives inside Iran.  The regime has repeatedly harassed her family, threatening them with loss of employment.  In 2018, the regime forced Masih's sister to appear on TV announcing that her family has been disgraced by her and have disowned her.  In 2019, Masih's brother Alireza was arrested for contacting Masih to warn her about a plot by the regime to trap her.  Alireza was sentenced to 8 years in jail for this, and as of today, he's still in prison.  The Regime hasn't stopped with threatening and imprisoning Masih's family.  For years, Masih has shared the testimonies of numerous Iranian dissidents on social media to raise awareness of the plight of the Iranian people suffering under the regime.  Recently, the Iranian regime issued an edict stating that any Iranian who sends videos to Masih will be imprisoned for 10 years.  When asked for her response to all of this, Masih stated : "Stalin Would Have Been Proud."  

Sources

Inskeep, Steve.  "The Journalists Iran Allegedly Sought to Kidnap Says She Would Have Been Killed."  NPR.  July 15, 2021.  Accessed from https://www.npr.org/2021/07/15/1016300591/the-fbi-warned-an-iranian-american-woman-that-she-might-be-kidnapped.

Weiser, Benjamin.  "Iranian Author Planned to Kidnap Brooklyn Author, Prosecutors Say."  The New York Times.  July 13, 2021.  Accessed from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/13/nyregion/iran-masih-alinejad-kidnapping.html.

Wright, Robin.  "Iranian Kidnapping Plot Exposes Its Paranoia."  The New Yorker.  July 19, 2021.  Accessed from https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/irans-kidnapping-plot-exposes-its-paranoia.