A U.S. court has sentenced an Iranian-American woman to four years in prison for providing financial support to a plot to kidnap opposition activist Masih Alinejad, a resident of the U.S. who is highly critical of the Iranian authorities.
The US Department of Justice has indicated in a statement published on its website that the woman, identified as Niloufar Bahadorifar, a resident of California, will also be placed under supervision for three years after her release from prison.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Baharodifar «provided financial support for a shameless plan to kidnap an Iranian human rights activist living in the United States whom the Iranian government has been trying to silence for years.
Efforts by malign foreign governments to suppress freedom of expression and peaceful protest through intimidatory means or repression cannot be tolerated. Freedom of speech is a fundamental tenet of American ideals and this office is proud to defend it with every means at our disposal,» he said.
Also, Deputy Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division stressed that »the Government of Iran has demonstrated that it will take extreme measures to silence dissidents and critics around the world, including the use of violence on U.S. soil.
»We are holding accountable an individual who violated U.S. sanctions by providing financial support that ultimately supported a failed Iranian government-led kidnapping plot, underscoring the (Justice) Department’s commitment to bringing to justice those who criminally aid the Iranian regime,» he has argued.
For his part, FBI Counterintelligence Division Deputy Director Alan Kohler Jr. emphasized that the convicted woman »provided support to individuals who attempted to kidnap a journalist living in New York who has criticized the regime in Tehran».
This case demonstrates that the Iranian government will continue to act against dissidents even beyond its borders, violating sanctions and U.S. national security, but more importantly, threatening the personal safety of individuals living in our country,» he concluded.
Bahadorifar was accused of handing over about $476,100 (about 437,000 euros) through more than 120 individual deposits in US banks since 2019. Most of them were less than $10,000 (about €9,175) in an attempt to avoid detection by US authorities.
A US court in July 2021 accused four Iranians of being part of a conspiracy to kidnap Alinejad, after which Tehran claimed the accusation was »baseless» »ridiculous» and »a fiction story».
Alinejad is a well-known Iranian activist and journalist who works as an anchor and producer for the Persian-language service of U.S.-based Voice of America and as a correspondent for Radio Farda. She has supported demonstrations in Iran since the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly wearing the veil incorrectly.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
