america is not a hunting ground for dictators
The men hired to assassinate American citizen Masih Alinejad in Brooklyn, New York for speaking out against the Ayatollah’s oppression of women were convicted. Now, the US should stand up to the regime that sent them.
One person targeted. An entire nation at risk.
A quiet neighborhood in Brooklyn is not where you would expect an assassin to appear.
But that is exactly what happened in July 2022, when a hitman hired by Iran’s regime arrived on the doorstep of women’s rights advocate Masih Alinejad with a loaded AK-47 in hand.
Masih is an American citizen living in New York. Her street could have been your street. Your neighborhood. What if your child had been playing outside when the assassin approached Masih’s home? What if they had been caught in the crossfire?
While most of us are not political dissidents, the reality is that we walk the same streets.
This is much bigger than dictators trying to kill their opponents. Authoritarian regimes spend billions of dollars to secretly influence us and overtly interfere in our society by stealing secrets from American companies and co-opting the freedom of our academic institutions to spread intolerant and outwardly authoritarian ideas.
The Renew Democracy Initiative is proud to stand with Masih not only in this fight, but to stand up against all dictators threatening American citizens and dissidents living in free countries.
Dictators never stop–they are stopped.
media coverage
Yesterday's court decision shows Iran's attempts at lethal plotting against Americans like @AlinejadMasih will be met with swift justice & accountability. Under @POTUS, Iran's front groups and proxies trying to operate in the U.S. will be investigated, disrupted, and prosecuted.…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) March 21, 2025
Journalist Targeted in Alleged Murder Plot: ‘I’ve Been Given a Second Life’ | ABC News
US Charges Three in Iranian Murder-for-Hire Plot | Reuters
Iranian American Rights Activist Defiant Over Alleged Iranian Plots to Kill her and Trump | AP
facing my assasins
“The first time I saw him nearly three years ago, he was standing outside my house. I didn’t realize at the time that the Islamic Republic of Iran had paid him to kill me.
Standing in court and facing my assassins was a strange, unnerving feeling—the regime of my birth country is trying to kill me, while the government of my adopted country, the United States of America, is protecting me.”
Read Masih’s personal story on RDI’s new Substack The Next Move with Garry Kasparov.
congress can act – make them
If you think what happened to Masih should never happen to another person in this country, it’s time to speak up. Sign this petition to demand action against dictator hit squads in our backyards.
The US government has the power to protect people on American soil from foreign tyrants. By signing, you’re urging lawmakers to pass long-overdue legislation to address transnational repression—when dictators reach across their borders to silence dissidents, pressure governments, and intimidate organizations, undermining our rights and security.
This is your chance to tell Congress to take action by supporting bipartisan bills like the recently introduced Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors (DETERRENCE Act), the Combating Transnational Repression Act and the long-delayed Transnational Repression Reporting Act. These bills would:
- Increase penalties on murder-for-hire criminals, like those who came after Masih.
- Create a Transnational Repression Office in the US Department of Homeland Security to track, investigate, and counter transnational repression in the US.
- Require official reporting on every case of transnational repression in the US and the government’s response.
For too long, dictators have viewed the United States as a playground for their repression. This must end. Sign the petition now to demand action and protect yourself, your family, and your community.
masih’s story
Masih Alinejad is an Iranian-American journalist, author, and women’s rights activist who has bravely dedicated her life to advancing women’s rights. She has worked with Voice of America Persian, Radio Farda, and IranWire while living in exile in New York City. She is one of RDI’s first Frontline Fellows and President of the World Liberty Congress.
Alinejad gained international attention through her campaign My Stealthy Freedom, which encouraged Iranian women to share photos of themselves without hijabs in defiance of government mandates. Because of her criticism of its regime, Iran’s government has tried more than once to kidnap and assassinate her on American soil.
The most brazen attempt occurred three years ago, in 2022, when a hitman walked up to her home in Brooklyn and knocked on the door, a loaded AK-47 waiting for her in the car. They intended to kidnap and kill her. By sheer coincidence, she did not answer the door, as she was on a Zoom call with RDI Chairman Garry Kasparov. It was only after the police arrested the assassin fleeing the scene that the FBI unraveled the wider murder-for-hire scheme directed by the Iranian regime.
Thankfully, the thugs that were hired to murder Masih have been convicted. For the first time in American history, the Islamic Republic of Iran is being held accountable for pursuing its dirty work in the United States. This is an important, but insufficient, first step in holding regimes like them responsible and protecting all American citizens from foreign interference.
Masih got lucky on that day three years ago. But luck will not ensure basic security for American citizens targeted by ruthless dictators. Policy and legislation will. Sign the petition to tell Congress to take action, and to stay updated on our efforts and Masih’s case.
“home is somewhere you feel safe”
Hear about Masih’s experience having to move from safehouse to safehouse even here in America because of the Islamic Republic’s attempts to kidnap, assassinate, and silence her.
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