The trial for two men charged with conspiracy in a murder-for-hire plot targeting Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad has begun in New York City. According to NBC New York, Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, with alleged connections to Russian organized crime, were purportedly contracted through the "Bazghandi Network" by Iranian agents. The two men stand accused of charges that include murder-for-hire, money laundering, and conspiracy linked to these claims.
Jury selection has started before Judge Colleen McMahon, with prospects undergoing questioning to assess their suitability for the case. The gravity of the situation is underpinned by the presence of Amirov and Omarov in court, both requiring translation via headphones to follow the proceedings. Alinejad, mistreated for her advocacy against Iran's human rights violations, and her challenge of the country's government, became a U.S. citizen in 2019. She has been known for her unwavering criticism of the regime's treatment of women and suppression of democracy, and for these reasons, she has long been a target for retribution by her former homeland, which she states in a post noted by NBC New York, “Finally, I will face the men hired by the Islamic Republic to kill me, right here in New York. Of course, it’s not easy. But it’s a big day. I’m deeply grateful to my new country, the United States of America, for trying to keep me safe from the government of my birth country.”
As reported by AP News, the trial is set against the backdrop of unrelenting threats from the Iranian government, a point Judge McMahon allowed into the trial to a limited extent. The judge has ruled out extensive testimony on Iran's perennial targeting of dissidents abroad, to focus on evidence more directly related to the charges against Amirov and Omarov. In prior court papers, prosecutors have explained that Iranian officials previously attempted to lure Alinejad to a foreign country through monetary offers to relatives in Iran, an approach that was ultimately declined.
With the trial expected to last less than three weeks, Alinejad is prepared to give her testimony on the series of events leading up to the attempted attack. Judge McMahon has made it clear that, despite the severity of the charges, "Nobody got killed" and that there was, in fact, no murder. "Nobody got hurt," she added, reinforcing the presumption of innocence for the accused. The defendants, immigrants from Azerbaijan, with cultural ties to Iran, have maintained their not guilty plea, as per AP News.
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