An Iranian journalist testified on Tuesday at the trial of two men accused of hiring and killing hitmen in 2022 to lure and kill them over criticism of the Iranian regime.
Masi Arinejad testified for more than two hours at the trials of Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov in federal court in New York City. The man pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including the murderer.
US prosecutors say murder groups were organized from Iran to stop Arinehad from talking about human rights abuses in his home country.
“We don't have free media in Iran,” she said, recalling the year she covers politics as a young journalist who frequently clashed with authorities in the country who tried to control the news she produced.
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After testifying at her assassin's trial in New York on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Macia Arinehad blows a kiss to supporters outside federal court. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Arinehad moved to the United States in 2009 after the Iranian-fighting presidential election. In the US, Alinejad has launched an online campaign to encourage Iranian women to pose for photos and videos showing their hair, contrary to religious rules that require head scarves.
Arinehad, who appeared on the stand with curly dark hair, said in Iran that clergy once said, “If you don't cover your hair properly, I'll punch you in the face.”
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Macia Arinehad greets friends and supporters outside federal court after testifying at the trial of two men allegedly murdered her in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
She said Iranian authorities have consistently tried to derail her message by calling her a prostitute, a CIA agent, and even a “agent” to President Donald Trump.
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The opposition journalist testified that after the attempted assassination was discovered, she was subjected to so many threats and humiliation and felt “a little broken.”
Masi Arinehad, 48, a well-known Iranian-American human rights activist, will be in an interview with the Associated Press in Berlin, Germany on November 9, 2024. (AP Photo/ebrahim noroozi)
Arinehad's testimony comes a week after a former member of the Russian mob testified that he took photos and videos outside her Brooklyn home after he was hired to assassinate her. Before he could, he was stopped by the police to perform a stop sign. He was arrested after a loaded AK-47 attack rifle was found in his rear seat.
Amirov and Omarov's defense attorneys told the ju judge that the prosecutor's evidence was merely circumstantial and there was no sufficient evidence for a conviction.
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The judge told the ju judge on Monday that deliberations may begin by the end of this week.
Grace Taggart and the Associated Press of Fox News contributed to this report.
