In a significant legal decision, a federal judge has handed down the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison to Carlisle Rivera, who was found guilty of conspiring to assassinate an Iranian American journalist in New York City. This plot was allegedly orchestrated at the behest of Iran’s government.
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman presided over the case, expressing the severity of Rivera’s actions. He emphasized the “great harm” inflicted upon Masih Alinejad, an American journalist and fervent human rights advocate, and her spouse. The judge highlighted the “chilling” nature of the communications Rivera engaged in while planning the 2024 attack in Brooklyn.
Addressing the court, Alinejad described the assassination attempts as not merely personal threats but as violations against American citizens and an affront to U.S. sovereignty. “I’m just a woman,” she asserted, “My weapon is my voice. My weapon is my social media.”
Following her testimony, Alinejad was seen outside the federal courthouse, greeting friends and supporters. Her appearance came in the context of a separate trial involving two other men accused of plotting against her, underscoring the ongoing threats she faces.
In her closing remarks, Alinejad implored the court to impose the harshest sentence possible as a deterrent against future plots aimed at U.S. citizens on American soil.
She urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence to deter future plots “targeting U.S. citizens on U.S. soil.”
Before sentencing, Rivera, 51, apologized, telling the judge, “I’m deeply sorry for my actions.”
Iranian civil rights activist Masih Alinejad attends the nightcap session titled “Rebels With a Cause: Voices of Civil Resistance” at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 17, 2024. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
In a brief courtroom moment, Rivera’s fiancée approached Alinejad during a recess, sobbing and apologizing. Alinejad later said she told the woman she was fighting not only for herself, but “for all Americans.”
Outside the Manhattan courthouse, Alinejad warned that the violence used to silence dissidents in Iran must not be allowed to spread to the United States. Holding a tablet showing images of Iranians killed during protests, she said Americans should not ignore the regime’s reach.
She also called on President Donald Trump to take stronger action against Iran’s leadership, comparing the regime to Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, who was captured in a U.S. military operation earlier this year and brought to New York on drug trafficking charges.
Masih Alinejad, a prominent Iranian American human rights activist, attends an interview with The Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
“Removing terrorists is not tragedy. It’s a sign of justice,” Alinejad said, adding she does not support bombing Iran but wants its leaders removed.
She noted that U.S. authorities have said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was behind multiple plots to kill her, as well as a separate plot targeting Trump. Tehran has denied the allegations.
Alinejad fled Iran in 2009 after the country’s disputed presidential election and became a U.S. citizen in 2019. She rose to prominence through campaigns encouraging Iranian women to defy the regime’s mandatory headscarf law and has since become a global advocate for women’s rights.
Last year, two men were convicted and sentenced to 25 years for plotting to kidnap and kill her in 2022. Prosecutors said Iran placed a $500,000 bounty on her head.
