Story perspectives

Would-Be Assassin Sentenced in Plot Against Iranian Dissident

1/29/2026

Center

Alinejad Seeks Justice

Carlisle Rivera, the would-be assassin, was sentenced to 15 years for a murder-for-hire plot against Masih Alinejad.
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian dissident, has survived multiple assassination attempts, and she says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps orchestrated these plots, including the Rivera case and another associate arrested in November 2024.
Alinejad expressed gratitude for U.S. justice but called for accountability for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.

Left

Al-Masarir Wins Compensation

The English High Court ordered Saudi Arabia to pay the dissident Ghanem al-Masarir £3.025 million.
The court found Saudi authorities hacked al-Masarir's phones with Pegasus spyware and directed a physical attack in 2018.
Judge Pushpinder Saini concluded the actions were intended to silence al-Masarir's criticism.
The ruling represents a significant legal defeat for Saudi Arabia, which had sought immunity.
Ghanem al-Masarir has lived in the United Kingdom since 2003.

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Alinejad Seeks Justice

Carlisle Rivera, the would-be assassin, was sentenced to 15 years for a murder-for-hire plot against Masih Alinejad.
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian dissident, has survived multiple assassination attempts, and she says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps orchestrated these plots, including the Rivera case and another associate arrested in November 2024.
Alinejad expressed gratitude for U.S. justice but called for accountability for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.

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