Iran has repeatedly tried to do me harm in the United States. Congress must strengthen the government’s ability to fight such transnational repression.
Iran has repeatedly tried to do me harm in the United States. Congress must strengthen the government’s ability to fight such transnational repression.
I n March 2025, I will confront the man who came to my Brooklyn home armed with an AK-47 to kill me. I will be testifying as a witness not just against the trigger man but also his handlers who orchestrated the assassination plot from an office at the headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. My story, while deeply personal, is also part of a broader, sinister pattern of transnational repression in which authoritarian regimes like those in Iran, Russia, China, and Venezuela extend their oppressive reach beyond their borders to target political dissidents. Even American citizens on U.S. soil are not safe when the world’s leading sponsors of terror act with impunity.
Plots like the one recently uncovered involving a man with ties to the Iranian regime who came to the United States to coordinate the assassination of U.S. government officials are in the news for good reason. But there is a quieter aggression against people who do not have the resources to defend themselves or the ability to draw media attention to their dire situations.
In 2021, the FBI foiled an audacious plot by the Islamic Republic to kidnap me from my home in Brooklyn, N.Y., and forcibly take me back to Iran. The kidnapping plot sounds like something out of a Hollywood thriller, but there is a pattern of the Islamic Republic seizing dissidents abroad and forcibly removing them to Iran. The story of Ruhollah Zam, a fellow Iranian journalist kidnapped by the Islamic Republic from France to Iran and executed, is a grim reminder of what can happen. On the day Zam was executed, Islamic Republic officials vowed that my abduction was imminent as the Iranian state media broadcast my image, hung in effigy.
I am a tiny woman, weighing only 90 pounds, but the threats against me are enormous.
After the kidnapping plot was exposed, I thought I was safe. Then a year later, in 2022, a man brazenly came to my home with the intention of killing me and even offering my head as a birthday gift to his boss. He had been monitoring my movements for more than a week, lurking outside my house, and even ordering food to be delivered to his car as he maintained his surveillance. Thanks to the efforts of multiple U.S. agencies, the assassin and his handlers, all members of an Eastern European criminal mob, were arrested and will face trial. But without deterrence, other assassins may be dispatched. This is the reality I face every day.
These threats are not just personal; they are assaults on the fundamental freedoms that democratic societies cherish. They are intended not only to silence the individuals they target but also to send a chilling message to anyone who dares to speak out against tyranny.
My friend, the journalist Pooriya Zeraati, was also targeted by the Iranian regime. He was stabbed in front of his house in London, another victim of the regime’s relentless campaign against its critics.
The Iranian government is not alone in its repressive tactics. Authoritarian regimes worldwide are increasingly united in their efforts to suppress dissent. From the surveillance state of China to Russia’s extrajudicial assassinations, these regimes are learning from one another, enhancing their capabilities to monitor, intimidate, and eliminate critics wherever they may be. This cooperation among dictatorships poses a grave threat not only to individual freedom but also to the global democratic order.
The United States and its allies must recognize the urgency of this threat and take concrete steps to protect those who speak out against these regimes. Three bills that represent a crucial step forward have been introduced and passed through the House Committee on Homeland Security. They aim to provide support for those who have been targeted by transnational repression, ensuring that they can live without fear and continue their vital work. These legislative measures, piloted by Representatives August Pfluger (R., Texas), Anthony D’Esposito (R., N.Y.), and Seth Magaziner (D., R.I.), will strengthen the tools available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as well as state and local law enforcement, to combat transnational repression and increase awareness of this growing threat.
For me, the fight against such repression is a fight for the soul of our democracy. It is a fight to ensure that the values we hold dear — freedom, justice, and human rights — are upheld not just within our borders but across the globe.
It is important for Congress to bring these measures forward for a vote and pass them swiftly — marking not the end of our efforts, but the beginning. We must also foster a global culture of solidarity and resistance against authoritarianism, because this fight is not confined to the borders of any single country; it requires a united response from all who value freedom and democracy, not just Americans.
I am not alone in this struggle. Countless others have faced similar threats and continue to stand up against tyranny despite the dangers. My voice, and their voices, will not be silenced. Together, we will continue to expose the truth and demand accountability, no matter the cost.
The time is now for the United States and its allies to act decisively to protect the freedom of expression and human rights that are under threat from transnational repression. The legislation mentioned above initiates that work. By standing together, we can ensure that the values of democracy and human dignity prevail over tyranny and oppression.