United States/Iran: CFWIJ Strongly Condemns Iran’s Attempt To Kidnap Journalist And Regime Critic Masih Alinejad From Her Brooklyn Home In The U.S.

Threats
Written By 
Location: United States/ Iran
Date: July 14, 2021

A prominent Iranian human rights activist and journalist living in New York, Masih Alinejad was the target of an international kidnapping attempt. Four Iranian intelligence officials have been convicted by the Federal court in Manhattan for orchestrating the plot. The indictment did not name the target, but Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-born author, says it was her. According to sources, CFWIJ has learnt the FBI had been following the suspects for a while before the agency informed Alinejad that her life was in danger several months ago.

The four suspects had hatched a plan to smuggle Alinejad to Iran in order to silence her but eventually it was foiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Alinejad is a staunch critic of the human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic, especially with a focus on women’s rights, liberty and freedom of speech. The CFWIJ has been following the threats and violations Alinejad has faced in the last few years as a result of her work. In fact in 2019, just around this time in July, we had condemned the Iranian authorities for harassing and intimidating Alinejad’s relatives through legal means, back in Iran. We recognized the Iranian state pressurizing Alinejads relatives to abandon her had been one of the Republic's many intimidation tactics to silence  Alinejad and isolate her from her allies. 

“Yet another brazen attack on a woman journalist by Iranian authorities. We have been monitoring increasing violations conducted within and outside Iran against journalists and human rights defenders, particularly women. Iranian officials and the state seems to have a particular dislike of women. The kind of targeting and pressure many women journalists and state critics face, is excruciatingly worrisome,” said CFWIJ Founding Director Kiran Nazish. “Iran is one the top three countries to imprison women journalists in the country. Over the last two years, the CFWIJ has monitored various reports of abuse and physical violence inside prisons in Iran. We fear for all these free speech defenders and journalists who are mistreated by the state, and we fear if the kidnapping attempt would have worked, Alinejad would have been one of them. Iran should immediately put a stop to this culture of abuse.” 

Reportedly the scheme behind executing the attack on Alinejad was initiated in June, 2020. CFWIJ is alarmed by what lengths governments can go to target journalists, free speech even and especially when they are women. It's extremely alarming since Iran had planned to trap Alinejad earlier in 2018 as well by inviting her to a third world country where she could have been easy to detain. As much as CFWIJ appreciates the efforts of the FBI, we are still worried for Alinejad’s safety and demand the Iranian regime to stop chasing her. We urge Iranian authorities to stop using their power to target women journalists critical of its policies.

The evidence submitted in the court during the process leading to indictment had pictures of Alinejad. The photos showed her with people the Iranian regime had already targeted in the past. A private investigator was hired to record her daily life at home and outside. Members of her household were videographed around her Brooklyn residence. A continuous surveillance was monitored to gather all her daily life information. 

Alinejad posted a video of herself on Twitter stating, "I am grateful to the FBI for foiling the Islamic Republic of Iran's Intelligence Ministry's plot to kidnap me. This plot was orchestrated under Rouhani. This is the regime that kidnapped & executed Ruhollah Zam. They've also kidnapped and jailed Jamshid Sharmahd and many others"

While speaking to VOA Iran she shared, "when the FBI came to my home 8 months ago to tell me that my safety had to be compromised, I couldn't believe it. Here in the USA ??? I jokingly responded I'm used to receiving death threats daily. I always get threats like "We'll kill you, throw acid on your face, we follow you everywhere" I joked with the FBI. Then they firmly told me: "Look these are the photos/videos of you that they took". I couldn't believe they had taken videos of me while I was going about my daily life. They had taken photos of me, my husband and his children. Initially, I felt shocked and then I got worried like anyone else would be.

She further said, "the regime not only wanted to make sure that I physically didn't exist anymore, but they also wanted to destroy my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram and WhatsApp."

All four convicted Iranian officials Farahani, Kiya Sadeghi, Omid Noori, and Mahmoud Khazein are reportedly present in Iran. Another mentionable name is Niloufar Bahdorifar "Nellie" who provided financial assistance to support the plan and hired a private investigator to monitor Alinejad. Bahdorifar, who is in the United States, is under police custody and is set to appear at the next court hearing in October. 

The New York Post reported earlier today, "Bahadorifar, who’s originally from Iran, is not accused of being part of the kidnapping plot but was charged Tuesday with conspiring to violate sanctions against Iran, to commit bank and wire fraud, and to commit money laundering, as well as structuring more than $445,000 in cash deposits to evade reporting requirements."

Al-Jazeera English reported, "A resident of California, Niloufar Bahadorifar, also known as Nellie Bahadorifar, 46, is alleged to have provided financial services that supported the plot."

The founder of anti hijab movement "White Wednesday", Masih Alinejad has been in self exile in New York. Earlier in October 2021, Iranian regime sentenced eight years of unjustified prison to her brother on groundless charges of "propaganda and insult against the Islamic Republic" in Tehran. His arrest was purely an attempt to intimidate Alinejad into silence. 

Masih shared her concerns about the regime’s tactics with CFWIJ, “What appalled me most is the brazenness with which the Islamic Republic of Iran tried to orchestrate a kidnapping on American soil,” she stated. “Many Iranian dissidents have been complaining about the tentacles of the regime outside of its borders.” She went on to add, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has a history of kidnapping and executing dissidents.”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the persistent intimidation and ceaseless targeting of the journalist. We strongly condemn the latest uncovering of events that could have resulted into unfortunate events for Alinejad. CFWIJ stands in solidarity with the journalist and demands the Iran government to stop following Alinejad. We urge Iranian authorities to rather invest all these resources to curb the causes behind human rights abuses in the country.

 

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.

Previous

Cuba: CFWIJ Demands Cubanet Journalist Camila Acosta’s Release Immediately
Next

Türkiye: Gazeteci Semiha Şahin Ve Pınar Gayıp’ın Duruşması 14’üncü Kez Ertelendi – Gazeteciler Derhal Beraat Etmelidir